LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 16, 2022) - Orlando Pride (5-8-6, 21 points) dropped a tough decision on the road on Friday night, a 2-0 defeat at host Racing Louisville FC (3-8-8, 17 points) at Lynn Family Stadium.
The Pride led in nearly every category on the evening, including a 14-11 advantage on shots, but could not find the back of the next. The game marked the second-straight match that the Pride were held without a goal.
Defender Haley Hanson earned her first start in purple, slotting in at right back, while Anna Moorhouse made her second-straight start between the pipes. The English netminder totaled three saves in the match.
Orlando will now turn its attention to next week, which sees the team host two matches from the confines of Exploria Stadium. First, the North Carolina Courage visit Central Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 21 in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Orlando Pride Interim Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Disappointed, we felt that coming here would have been a great opportunity to bounce back from the last couple of results. Games are built on taking chances and Louisville took their chances and we didn’t today. You know, goals change games. [If we had] scored in the first couple of minutes that changes the whole momentum of the game and we build on that. But it wasn’t meant to be and the result was us losing the game.”
Scoring Recap:
10’ Nadia Nadim (Jessica McDonald) - LOU 1, ORL 0
The home side got on the board 10 minutes into the match, with Jessica McDonald sending a low cross in from the right side, finding Nadia Nadim on the doorstep for a tap-in.
50’ Savannah DeMelo (Wang Shuang) - LOU 2, ORL 0
The home side got an insurance goal on the other side of the half, with Savannah DeMelo finding the top corner on a shot from outside of the area.
Match Notes:
- Defender Haley Hanson made her first start for the Pride on Friday evening, having twice entered previous matches as a substitute since being acquired via trade in August.
- Darian Jenkins returned to the starting XI for the first time since August 7 after missing some time due to a knee injury.
- Anna Moorhouse made her second start of the regular season, both coming in the last two matches, picking up three saves on Friday night.
Next Match: Orlando returns to action at the midweek, hosting the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday evening. The match will mark the team’s first-ever “Woof Wednesday”, with fans able to bring their dogs to the game.
