BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (May 27, 2023) – Orlando Pride (3-5-1, 10 points) dropped a 1-0 decision on Saturday night to the Chicago Red Stars (2-6-1, 7 points) at SeatGeek Stadium. Despite posting a season-high 19 shots on the night, the Pride’s unbeaten run was snapped at four matches as the side was unable to find the back of the net.
The Pride took eight shots in the first half compared to two from the Red Stars, forcing goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to make four saves in the first 45. The side looked to be on the way to equalizing just before the break with a cross from Erika Tymrak finding the head of Adriana at the center of the area in the 41st minute, but her effort missed the mark over the bar.
Just after halftime, a corner from Marta found the head of Mikayla Cluff in the box, but her strike hit off the crossbar, with Marta's rebound attempt doing the same. The woodwork would deny the Pride later in the second half, when a shot from Adriana from outside the box was parried once again by the crossbar.
The side will now turn its attention to a match against the Houston Dash, set for Saturday, June 3 at Shell Energy Stadium in what is the middle of a three-game road trip for the team.
Scoring Summary:
22’ Yuki Nagasato (Casey Krueger) - CHI 1, ORL 0
The home side took the early lead with Casey Krueger cutting the ball to her left foot on the right flank before lofting a ball to the back post that found the head of Yuki Nagasato for the finish.
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Disappointed with the result. It was a great opportunity for us to keep that momentum going. I thought any time you play a team like Chicago, who are short on confidence, you have to not give them any hope and that's what we did. We gave them hope by allowing them to score first. But, at the end of the day, you can't dominate a game the way that we did and not come away with three points and that's the disappointing thing. The game is built on goals and we didn't we didn't take our opportunities tonight.”
Match Notes:
- Julie Doyle made her return to the pitch, entering the game as a second-half substitute. Doyle last featured for the Pride on April 2 against Angel City, having missed nearly the last two months due to injury.
- With the loss, the Pride’s run of four matches unbeaten came to an end.
- With the start, Marta tied former teammates Ashlyn Harris and Toni Pressley for most regular season appearances for the Pride in Club history with her 81st appearance in league play.
- The Pride posted a season-high 19 shots in the match.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to his starting lineup entering the match, with Erika Tymrak getting the nod on the night.
Next Match: The Pride will head back out on the road once more, next set to travel to take on the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium in an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, June 3.
