Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines
*Opening Statement
“We showed our quality at times and we showed, if we don’t handle the ball with better care, you get punished for it. The goals that we conceded, we’re really disappointed with. So, we’ll review and we’ll reflect and make sure that doesn’t happen again. You can see Gotham, they still have things to play for, they’re still trying to solidify their position as the No. 2 team in the league. We’ve won the Shield and the challenge [for the coaches] is trying to continue to motivate the players to get back to where they were before they won the Shield. So, we’ll talk about that and make sure we’re in a good position going into the Seattle game in two week's time.”
On the message at halftime to the team
"I think we just gifted them goals. It's another set piece that we conceded from. There were also a couple of giveaways that led to their opportunities to score. We haven't showed that all season long. It is such a critical time in the season that we can't afford to give teams like Gotham those types of gifts."
On the message to the team following back-to-back losses
"Just to get back to where we were before the Shield. We showed some really good form. We were hungry, we had desire. We were very committed. I feel at this period where whatever happens in the game, it doesn't have any dividends on our position. We just have to get back to who we are and our identity. We need to work extremely hard and not allow teams to work harder than us once we step onto that field. We had some really good moments of play. We switched the point of attack, we got in behind their midfield line and then it just kind of falls apart. It is trying to put those good moments of play into goals. Those are areas we are going to work on. They have got to know that they have a target on their back and everyone wants to continue to beat this team because of what they have showed all season long. We just have to get back to who we are and regain that sort of form. I think we are still playing some really good football, but we are not getting that end product to reward ourselves."*
Orlando Pride Defender Cori Dyke
Opening statement
“Obviously we are disappointed. We know it was not our best showing. We know we are a way better team than that, so that is frustrating. We just have to remember everything we know we did right leading up to this point and not let our confidence drop from that. We have to have our confidence going up into this last game of the regular season and going into playoffs."
On what she felt was off tonight
"We definitely felt that some of the details were not up to our standards, but we are not going to make excuses for that. We just need to be better than that. We need to be sharper and locked in from the start. I think that is a tough lesson that we can learn from though moving forward."
On the message to the team after back-to-back losses
"This team and this culture is so great. It is easy to have a good culture when you are winning, but it is instances like this that the culture gets put to the test. I think there is a lot of growth we can have in that through this adversity. Now going into playoffs, if we can learn from these mistakes then we can be even better going into the postseason."
