Orlando Pride (3-0-3, 12 points) vs North Carolina Courage (4-2-0, 12 points)
When: Wednesday, May 1, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: INTER&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
TV: Bally Sports Sun (locally) & NWSL+
As the Pride return home for a midweek matchup against the Courage, here are five things to watch for on Wednesday:
Run it Back
In the two sides’ most recent matchup, the Pride earned a 2-1 win over the Courage in September of last year at home. The two goals were scored by Ally Watt and Adriana, with the former serving as the fastest goal in Pride history, with Watt finding the back of the net just 39 seconds into the match. The win served as the Club’s second win over North Carolina at home all time. Orlando’s only consecutive wins over the Courage came in the last two meetings in 2017.
Neva Lost
The Pride extended its unbeaten streak to start the 2024 NWSL regular season to six games following the win at Washington. The Club started the season with three straight draws and is currently riding a three-match winning streak, which is the first three-match winning streak across all competitions for the Pride since May 2021. The only longer winning streak in Club history was a five-match run in August-September 2017. The longest unbeaten run to start the season for the Club was seven matches at the start of the 2021 season.
#BandaWagon
Pride forward Barbra Banda recorded a goal and an assist in her first career NWSL starts against the Spirit. Banda became just the seventh player in the league to tally a goal and an assist in their first career start. Banda also played a role in the Pride’s third goal, winning a penalty in the match. Banda became the first player to score a goal, pick up an assist and earn a penalty kick in an NWSL match since Marta, who did it for Orlando back in October of last season against Racing Louisville.
Debutants
The match against the Spirit saw defender Cori Dyke make her professional debut after she came on as a second half substitute. Dyke was drafted by the Pride with the No. 22 overall pick in the second round out of Penn State University where she won 2023 Big Ten Defender of the Year. The match also saw defender Carrie Lawrence make her 2024 season debut and her first appearance since suffering a season-ending injury during the preseason last year. Lawrence has been with the Pride since joining in 2019 as a training player.
No Losses, Just Goals
The Pride have now scored a goal in its last 10 matches, dating back to the end of the 2023 season that started with a 2-1 win over the Courage on Sept. 17. If the Pride score a goal against the Courage, it will serve as the longest stretch of games with at least one goal scored in Club history at 11. The Pride have scored 15 goals during this span while only conceding 10. The Club holds a 6-1-3 record during this run.
Milestone Tracker
- Adriana’s next goal would be her seventh with the Club, tying her for seventh place in Club history with the most goals scored.
- Haley McCutcheon is two appearances away from 140 in her NWSL career across all competitions.
- Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse is three saves shy from 100 regular season saves.
