LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 10, 2021) - Orlando Pride (0-0-1, 1 point) battled to a 2-2 draw with 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion side Racing Louisville FC (0-0-1, 1 point) to open its Challenge Cup slate on Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium.
Taylor Kornieck and Abi Kim scored the Pride’s pair of goals on the evening, the finishes coming in their respective NWSL debuts. The two were part of a total of seven members of the Pride’s roster to log their first minutes for the Club on the night, with five earning their league debuts overall.
In a quick turnaround, the Pride return to the pitch on Wednesday, April 14, making their return to Exploria Stadium with a matchup against Gotham FC. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with tickets available at Orlando-Pride.com or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“It’s a wonderful occasion. Louisville were great hosts, wonderful stadium, a great event for them. We’ll take a result, we always knew we were going to fight against the crowd as well as the team that we were going to play against. We showed real quality at moments, and it will increase and get better as we go throughout the games. I’m really pleased with how the players came from behind, showed the resilience that we’re trying to work on them for. We’re disappointed to give a goal away at the end, but take nothing away from Louisville and the event tonight. It was a good experience for everyone.”
Scoring Recap:
12’ Cece Kizer (Emily Fox) - LOU 1, ORL 0
Racing Louisville opened its NWSL account to start the scoring on the night with Emily Fox sending a through ball in for Cece Kizer, who managed to get behind the Pride defense before taking a touch and slotting the ball into the back of the net.
44’ Taylor Kornieck (Meggie Dougherty Howard) - ORL 1, LOU 1
The Pride leveled just before the break after Marisa Viggiano found Meggie Dougherty Howard on the right edge of the box, who lofted it into the box, finding the head of Taylor Kornieck for the 2020 NWSL College Draft selection’s first goal in her league debut.
88’ Abi Kim (Meggie Dougherty Howard) - ORL 2, LOU 1
Another debutant got on the scoreboard for the Pride late in the match, this time with Dougherty Howard slotting in a ball for Abi Kim, who roofed it first time over the head of goalkeeper Michelle Betos for the finish.
90+3’ Brooke Hendrix (Freja Olofsson) - ORL 2, LOU 2
Louisville bagged the late equalizer with Brooke Hendrix getting on the end of a loose ball in the box following a free kick from Savannah McCaskill.
Match Notes:
- Taylor Kornieck scored her first NWSL goal on the evening, getting her head on a cross from Meggie Dougherty Howard for the finish.
- Abi Kim netted her first professional goal in her NWSL debut, finding the back of the net in the 88th minute.
- Meggie Dougherty Howard registered her first pair of goal contributions in purple with the first multi-assist performance for the Club since May 26, 2018, when Marta did the same against the Chicago Red Stars.
- A total of seven members of the Pride earned their Orlando debuts on the night with Ali Riley, Phoebe McClernon, Jade Moore, Meggie Dougherty Howard and Taylor Kornieck all starting their first matches in purple on the night. Erika Tymrak and Abi Kim earned their first Club minutes as well, coming off the bench in the second half.
- The night served as the official NWSL debuts for Riley, McClernon, Moore, Kornieck and Kim.
- Erika Tymrak logged her first NWSL minutes since Oct. 13, 2019, marking her official return to the league after retiring prior to the start of the 2020 season.
- Ali Riley made her first Club appearance stateside since 2011, when she helped the Western New York Flash to a WPS title with current Pride teammates Ashlyn Harris, Alex Morgan and Marta.
- The matchup served as the first for the Pride against Racing Louisville FC, with the contest serving as the inaugural match for the 2021 expansion side.
Next Match: The Pride make their return to Exploria Stadium on Wednesday, April 14, set to host Gotham FC with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Teams</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>F</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Orlando Pride</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Racing Louisville</b></span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span><br> |
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span><br> |
Scoring Summary:
LOU - Cece Kizer (Emily Fox) 12’
ORL - Taylor Kornieck (Meggie Dougherty Howard) 44’
ORL - Abi Kim (Meggie Dougherty Howard) 88’
LOU - Brooke Hendrix (Freja Olofsson) 90+3’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Taylor Kornieck (Yellow Card) 35’
LOU - Emily Fox (Yellow Card) 66’
LOU - Jorian Baucom (Yellow Card) 83’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando Pride - GK Ashlyn Harris ©; D Ali Riley, Phoebe McClernon, Konya Plummer, Ali Krieger; M Jade Moore (Erika Tymrak 65’), Meggie Dougherty Howard, Marisa Viggiano; F Marta (Toni Pressley 90+2’), Taylor Kornieck (Abi Kim 78’), Sydney Leroux
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brittany Wilson; D Courtney Petersen, Carrie Lawrence, Ally Haran; M Chelsee Washington, Erika Tymrak
Racing Louisville - GK Michelle Betos ©; D Emily Fox, Brooke Hendrix, Nealy Martin, Erin Simon; M Freja Olofsson, Savannah McCaskill, Lauren Milliet, Emina Ekic (Katie McClure 75’); F Yuki Nagasato, Cece Kizer (Jorian Baucom 77’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Katie Lund, Shelby Money; D Julia Ashley, Kaleigh Riehl; M Taylor Otto, Noelle Higginson; F Vanessa Kara
Details of the Game:
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Rain
Date: April 10, 2021
Stats Summary: LOU / ORL
Possession: 50% / 50%
Shots: 8 / 11
Shots on Goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 0 / 2
Corner Kicks: 3 / 2
Fouls: 11 / 12
Offside: 4 / 0
Officials:
REF: Ekaterina Koroleva
AR1: Brooke Mayo
AR2: Maggie Shorts
4TH: Nabil Bensalah
