Not in Her House
Ashlyn Harris had a standout performance for the Pride in the team’s last outing against North Carolina where she recorded seven saves, tying her regular season-high, as well as a stop from the penalty spot. The 35th minute penalty save from Harris is her first of the regular season and third across all competitions this year. Harris is only one of two keepers to record a penalty save this season.
About Last Time
The Pride met expansion side Racing Louisville in April for the start of the NWSL Challenge Cup. The match served as Louisville’s inaugural match of NWSL competition and ended in a 2-2 draw, with the Pride’s Taylor Kornieck and Abi Kim scoring their first professional goals. Cece Kizer scored Louisville’s first ever goal and Brooke Hendrix scored Louisville’s latest ever goal in the 93rd minute.
Possible Debut
The Pride have added defender Kylie Strom to its roster, and she could possibly make her debut in purple this Friday against Racing Louisville. Strom joins the Pride after spending the two previous seasons with Atlético Madrid, making 29 appearances and scoring two goals. Strom, while new to the Pride, is not new to the NWSL. She tallied seven appearances with the Boston Breakers during the 2016-2017 season after graduating from Boston College.
International Signings
Collectively the Pride and Louisville have now signed six players from European Leagues in the last couple months. Gemma Bonner, Ebony Salmon and the Pride’s Amy Turner came to the NWSL from the FA Women’s Super League. Nadia Nadim returned to the NWSL after a stint in the FA WSL, but most recently in the Division 1 Féminine. The Pride also added Kylie Strom to the roster who has returned stateside after a couple of seasons with Atlético Madrid and lastly, the Pride’s most recent signing, English International Jodie Taylor has returned to the NWSL after a season with French side Lyon.
Facing Expansion
Through three matchups with the league’s two expansion sides this season, the Pride hold an unbeaten record of 2-0-1, with a pair of victories over Kansas City and a draw in their inaugural match on the year against Friday’s opposition. The Pride hold a +3 goal differential through those contests, finding the back of the net a total of six times from five different goalscorers.
Mission Equality
Friday will serve as the Club’s Mission Equality match as part of the Pride’s Mission Program announced earlier this year. With that, fans will have the opportunity to purchase the Mission Equality patch for the first time, as well as a Mission Equality t-shirt, with proceeds benefiting the Mission Fund. An Ad Astra kit will also be available for auction at a later date, adorned with the Mission Equality patch that traveled to space.
