Storylines | Pride vs. North Carolina Courage

The New Era Begins

Orlando Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell made her debut at the helm over the weekend against the Spirit, becoming the first head coach in Club history to record a result in her coaching debut. Cromwell joined the side this past offseason following a decorated 25-year coaching career at the collegiate level between UCLA and the University of Central Florida.

Just the Beginning

Four members of the Pride earned their respective Club debuts this past weekend in Megan Montefusco, Angharad James, Darian Jenkins and Mikayla Cluff, each of which recorded the start on the night against Washington. Montefusco, James and Jenkins were each acquired via trade by the Pride this offseason, while Cluff was selected by the side at the 2021 NWSL Draft, but elected to return to Brigham Young University to finish out her collegiate eligibility, ending her college career as a 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy finalist. 

A Clean Start

The Pride opened up Challenge Cup play with a clean sheet against the reigning NWSL Champion Washington Spirit in what served as Erin McLeod’s first shutout as a member of the Pride. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist recorded four saves on the night to keep the Spirit attack off the board, one of which was nominated for NWSL Save of the Week. 

No. 100

Entering the match in the 62nd minute of play last Saturday night, midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard recorded her 100th NWSL appearance across all competitions against her former club in the Washington Spirit. Acquired by the Pride ahead of the 2021 campaign, Dougherty Howard has appeared 25 times for the Pride with three assists in that span. 

Against the Courage

The Pride will look for their fifth-consecutive result at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night dating back to the 2020 Fall Series. In that very competition, Orlando took a scoreless draw and followed that up with the same result in Challenge Cup play a year ago. In two fixtures in North Carolina in 2021 NWSL regular season action, the Pride took a 2-1 victory and a 1-1 draw, with forward Sydney Leroux scoring in both contests. 

Courage Connections

Saturday’s match will mark a return to Cary for three Pride players who were previously members of the Courage organization. Midfielder Angharad James was acquired by the Courage via Discovery during the 2021 season, traded to San Diego in the offseason with the intention of eventually landing in Orlando. Forwards Darian Jenkins and Leah Pruitt both spent time in North Carolina, both first round selections in their respective drafts. Jenkins was selected No. 7 overall in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, while Pruitt was picked No. 5 overall in the 2019 NWSL College Draft. 

On the other side of the field, defender Carson Pickett spent three seasons as a member of the Pride, acquired via trade ahead of the 2018 season. Pickett made 39 appearances in purple, adding one assist from the backline. 

Milestone Tracker

• Midfielder Erika Tymrak sits just two appearances away from 150 across all competitions.
• Forward Sydney Leroux is just two appearances away from 125 across all competitions.
• Forward Marta is three goals away from 30 in her Orlando Pride career.