1. Rolling on. The Orlando Pride snagged their 16th win on the season with a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash in a game that started close and contentious, but ended dominant and decisive. The win also extends the unbeaten run to 23 games, going all the way back to October of last year.
2. It was a special moment for Carson Pickett just before the halftime mark, who scored her first goal with the Pride. It was a headed goal that came from a cross by Cori Dyke — Pickett credited with her perfect cross after the game. For the Florida native, it was a special moment to score her first goal for the club. "I almost can't even put it into words how amazing it feels," Pickett said during the post-game press conference. "What an honor it is to be able to see this club turn from 2020 all the way till now, and just see the growth and everything that Haley (Carter) and Seb (Hines) have done here and the girls, the work that they've put in, day in and day out. I stepped into this club, and I was like, wow, this is a winning club, a winning culture."
3. After coming into the game at the start of the second half, Angelina proved to be a massive game-changer — not just because of the absolute banger she scored in the 51st minute but because of her ability on the ball and her composure playing out of pressure situations. Head Coach Seb Hines said after the game he felt the game was getting too stretched and bringing Angelina into the game helped settle things down. "Really happy for Ange," he said. "She took the shot well and deserved the goal."
4. In the 47th minute of the game, the Pride broke yet another NWSL record, this time for consecutive minutes played without conceding. They passed the 2021 North Carolina Courage, who held the record with 547 minutes. Ultimately, the streak ended just a few minutes later with Houston scoring, but the new record belongs to Orlando with 554 shutout minutes.
5. Late in the game, a routine sub became a monumental moment for midfielder Viviana Villacorta, who returned to the pitch for the first time in the calendar year. Villacorta last played a professional game back on Sept. 17 of 2023. It's been a long road back from her third major injury in her pro career, but her teammates and the Pride staff have been pushing her on, and it was a special moment for her to get back on the pitch again.
6. To cap the game off, it just had to be the Cap. In stoppage time, Marta got the ball in space, and despite running for the last 90-plus minutes, she still had the energy to push past the last defender and hit a cross-body shot on a frozen rope to beat Jane Campbell and net her seventh of the year. It was just yet another reminder of why she is the undisputed 🐐.
7. With the win tonight, the Pride break their own Club record they set at the end of last season, getting the most home wins in team history. Last year, they set the record in the last game of the season against the Houston Dash, so it seems only fitting that they break that record against the same team a year later.
8. 17,087. A record-breaking attendance in a record-breaking win for the Pride. It was the largest-attended Pride game in Inter&Co Stadium history and the second-highest attended game in Club history, only second to the first-ever game back in 2016.
9. The Pride now turn their attention to arguably their most important game of the regular season, as they'll face second-place Washington Spirit next Sunday, Oct. 6, at Inter&Co Stadium. That game is set for 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
