Need to Know:
Date & Time: Saturday, July 29, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, NC.
Competition: UKG NWSL Challenge Cup
Where to Watch:
Broadcast: Paramount + (national), NWSLsoccer.com (international)
The Story:
- The Orlando Pride will continue their run in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, facing off against the North Carolina Courage who currently sit at the top of the East Division with eight points.
- Saturday’s meeting will serve as the two clubs’ second contest throughout the tournament, having already met at Exploria Stadium, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.
- The Pride enters the match with one point in Challenge Cup play, an 0-2-1 record through three matches.
- Defender Megan Montefusco scored her first goal as a Pride player in the side’s last match off a free kick from Erika Tymrak for her fourth assist of the year.
Quote of the Week:
“In the last game [against North Carolina Courage], I think we gave them too much respect. We’re going to need to be fully committed to blocking shots. In their last game, they scored a lot of goals outside the box and that's a scenario that we need to improve on in this game. They possess the ball well and they look to combine and use everyone and put defenders in difficult spots. We need to be fully committed to the press, but we need to stick to our identity and also be good in possession. It should be an exciting game. It’s two teams that want to play and want to possess the ball with an objective to score.”
- Head Coach Seb Hines
Current Form:
Pride’s Last Match: NJ/NY Gotham FC 3, Orlando Pride 1 (7/23/23, Exploria Stadium)
Goal-Scorers: Jenna Nighswonger (PK), McCall Zerboni, Yazmeen Ryan; Megan Montefusco
North Carolina’s Last Match: North Carolina Courage 6, Washington Spirit 0 (7/22/23, WakeMed Soccer Park)
Goal-Scorers: Brittany Ratcliffe, Frankie Tagliaferri, Olivia Wingate, Tess Boade, Brianna Pinto, Narumi Miura
Against the Opposition:
Series Record: 4-12-5 (Home: 1-6-2, Away: 3-6-3)
Last Matchup: North Carolina Courage 3, Orlando Pride 0 (6/17/23, WakeMed Soccer Park)
Next Up: Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit
Date & Time: Friday, August 4, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Broadcast: Paramount + (national), NWSLsoccer.com (international)
Competition: UKG NWSL Challeng
