ORLANDO, Fla. (July 9, 2021) - Orlando Pride (4-2-4, 16 points) battled to a 1-1 draw against Racing Louisville FC (3-4-2, 11 points) on Friday night at Exploria Stadium in the expansion side’s first visit to downtown Orlando.
The Pride equalized at the death, with Sydney Leroux bagging her team-high fifth goal of the season to force the two sides to split the points in the match, a goal that also marked the latest scored in Club history. Taylor Kornieck earned the assist on the finish, tying teammate Marta for both the team and league-lead with her third of the year.
Following Friday’s match, the team will enjoy just over a week off from match play before taking on Portland Thorns FC on Sunday, July 18 at Providence Park.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“The take-home for us is that we have a spirit where the players just never give up and when you have a spirit like that, you can build and build and build. I don’t think I’ve ever thought we were anywhere near a finished product, but what we are is doing very well on the way to becoming that. Their energy and commitment again for each other is just outstanding. They’ve dug themselves out of a hole in that we didn’t play well, which allowed Louisville into the game and they’ve not had many chances. Not a great performance from us, but a wonderful desire to stay in the game and get back into it.”
Scoring Recap:
21’ Ebony Salmon - LOU 1, ORL 0
The visitors opened the scoring with Ebony Salmon running onto a ball in behind the Pride defense before slotting in the finish.
90+4’ Sydney Leroux (Taylor Kornieck) - ORL 1, LOU 1
The Pride leveled late with Ashlyn Harris heaving a ball into the area from just past midfield, finding the head of Taylor Kornieck before falling to a running Sydney Leroux, who hit it on the bounce straight into the right-side netting to equalize at the death.
Match Notes:
- Sydney Leroux scored her fifth goal of the regular season in the match, a team-high to tie Courage forward Lynn Williams for the league-lead.
- Scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Leroux’s goal marked the latest scored by the Pride in the team’s six-year history.
- Taylor Kornieck tallied her third assist of the season on Leroux’s equalizer, tying her for the league-lead with teammate Marta and North Carolina’s Carson Pickett.
- With the start on Friday, Ashlyn Harris took sole possession of second place in the Club’s all-time games played category, recording her 70th appearance and passing former defender Kristen Edmond’s on the list.
- Kylie Strom made her Orlando Pride debut in the match, entering in the 86th minute for Courtney Petersen.
- Head Coach Marc Skinner made one change to his starting lineup from the Pride’s last outing, with Erika Tymrak tallying her second start for the Pride on the night.
- Ali Riley made her last appearance for the team before heading to Tokyo to compete in her fourth Olympic Games for the New Zealand Women’s National Team.
- The match served as Racing Louisville’s inaugural visit to downtown Orlando and the first time the two sides faced off in regular season action. The two opened their respective Challenge Cup campaigns against one another on April 10, a match that resulted in a 2-2 draw.
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Next Match:* The Pride head out on the road for their first West Coast trip of the year, traveling to take on Portland Thorns FC on Sunday, July 18. Kickoff is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET.
