ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 9, 2021) - Orlando Pride (7-7-7, 28 points) dropped a 3-2 decision on Saturday night to NJ/NY Gotham FC (7-5-8, 29 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium.
The match saw a late second half rally from the Pride come up short, with Erika Tymrak and Marta scoring in the 84th and 89th minutes, respectively. The finish served as the second for Tymrak this year, both of which have come against Gotham, while Marta tallied her fourth goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot.
The Pride had a chance to level late off a free kick attempt from Marta, but were denied by both the post and a block from the Gotham defense with shots from defender Toni Pressley and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.
The Pride return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 13 in the first match of a two-game road trip to take on the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium. From there, the side will travel to face Racing Louisville FC in its last road contest of the 2021 regular season.
Orlando Pride Interim Head Coach Becky Burleigh:
“It’s been a really emotional week and I think our players have handled that really well. We have a lot of people who were very directly involved with making changes in this league that are really important and with that being said, I know it’s affected every single team. As far as the match tonight, I felt it was tough giving up the deflection early. It’s difficult to give up a goal that early, but I thought our team bounced back well. The things to take from this game were that we really had a lot of fight at the end of the game. I thought that people that came into the match really did a good job of sustaining pressure and creating pressure and were game-changers. The big thing is that we have to figure out our defensive identity and that’s where we are right now.”
Scoring Recap:
3’ Gaëtane Thiney (Caprice Dydasco) - NJ/NY 1, ORL 0
The visitors took an early lead with Caprice Dydasco laying off a ball to Gaëtane Thiney, who hit a first-time effort from outside the area that took a deflection into the right side netting for the finish.
47’ Gaëtane Thiney - NJ/NY 2, ORL 0
Gotham doubled its advantage off a set piece play, this time with Gaëtane Thiney striking a free kick from the right edge of the area into the back of the net.
50’ Margaret Purce (Ifeoma Onumonu) - NJ/NY 3, ORL 0
The visitors added to their lead minutes later with Ifeoma Onumonu getting on the receiving end of a ball from Carli Lloyd before finding Purce at the center of the box, who took a touch before slotting in the finish.
85’ Erika Tymrak (Alex Morgan) - NJ/NY 3, ORL 1
The Pride cut the deficit late in the match, with Sydney Leroux winning the ball in Gotham’s defensive third that eventually found the foot of Alex Morgan. The U.S. WNT forward then laid off a ball for Erika Tymrak, whose shot deflected off the hands of Gotham goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and into the back of the net.
89’ Marta (PK) - NJ/NY 3, ORL 2
The home side found the back of the net yet again five minutes later, with Alex Morgan drawing a penalty off a set piece attempt. Marta then stepped up to the spot, sending Kailen Sheridan the wrong way to place her strike into the back of the net.
Match Notes:
- Erika Tymrak netted her second goal of the 2021 campaign on Saturday, both of which have come against Gotham FC.
- Marta scored her fourth goal of the year, converting from the penalty spot for the side late in the match.
- Alex Morgan tallied her first assist of the campaign in what served as her 99th NWSL regular season appearance on Saturday night, 63 of which have come as a member of the Pride.
- Entering the game in the 59th minute, Meggie Dougherty Howard recorded her 99th NWSL appearance across all competitions.
- Leaving the game in the 59th minute, midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir’s streak of having played every minute this season for the Pride came to an end. Jónsdóttir leads the side with 1,859 minutes on the year.
- Saturday night served as the Pride’s Breast Cancer Awareness Match as part of the Club’s announced initiatives through the month of October.
Next Match: The Pride head out on the road this week, set to take on the Chicago Red Stars in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at SeatGeek Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
