HARRISON, N.J., (Oct. 20, 2024) – The Orlando Pride (17-2-6, 57 points) dropped a 3-1 decision on Sunday evening, falling to NJ/NY Gotham FC (16-4-5, 53 points) at Red Bull Arena. The match marked only the second loss of the season for the Pride, who have already secured the No. 1 seed heading into the 2024 NWSL Playoffs.
Adriana scored Orlando’s lone goal of the game, her sixth of the year, capitalizing from the penalty spot. The penalty was drawn by forward Barbra Banda, the third penalty that the Zambian forward has drawn this year, all resulting in goals for her side.
The Pride will now see a week off from play due to the upcoming international break, finishing out the regular season on Nov. 2, when they host Seattle Reign FC at Inter&Co Stadium. Tickets for that match, as well as 2024 Playoff tickets, are available at Orlando-Pride.com/Tickets.
Scoring Summary:
13’ Sam Hiatt – GFC 1, ORL 0
Gotham opened the scoring off a corner kick that was whipped into a crowded box. The ball went off the leg of Sam Hiatt and, through a crowd of players, trickled over the line.
31’ Adriana (Penalty Kick) – ORL 1, GFC 1
The Pride leveled things later on in the half after Barbra Banda was taken down in the penalty box and given a penalty kick. Adriana stepped up to the spot, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and smashed the ball into the back of the net.
45+1' Rose Lavelle – GFC 2, ORL 1
The home side regained the lead a minute into first half stoppage time, after a flurry in the box. After a ball was sent across the box, Anna Moorhouse made a save with her leg but the rebound caromed into the middle where Rose Lavelle was waiting, and she sent it into the net.
49’ Ella Stevens (Bruninha) – GFC 3, ORL 1
Gotham doubled the advantage early in the second half when Bruninha was able to drive to the endline and play the ball back across the middle of the box. Ella Stevens was able to get on the end of the ball right in front of the goal and make the finish.
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“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.”
Match Notes:
- Adriana scored her sixth goal of the season and her second scored from the penalty spot.
- Barbra Banda drew her third penalty of the season, resulting in Adriana’s goal.
- The Pride have converted on all five of their penalty kicks this year and each of their last 10 dating back to 2022.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made five changes to his previous side with Emily Sams, Morgan Gautrat, Marta, Barbra Banda and Adriana all reentering the starting XI.
Next Match: The Pride will enter an international break before hosting the last match of the regular season at Inter&Co Stadium against the Seattle Reign on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kick off for that match is set for 5 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ION.
