ORLANDO, Fla. (August 10, 2019) - Orlando Pride (3-10-2, 11 points) fell 1-0 to the Houston Dash (6-7-4, 22 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. The Pride were reduced to nine players in the match, with defender Julie King being shown a red card in the 61st minute of her Pride debut and Marta receiving the same in the 85th.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“I don’t think we were quick enough first half. I thought we could’ve cut them open, we could’ve hurt them. We didn’t do that and then second half, obviously it’s a bit of a joke. From what I see I don’t contest the first decision, I didn’t see the second one so I have no idea the severity of it was a red card or not, I don’t know. I genuinely was looking at tactical changes at the time. Apart from that, just another game that’s got away from us because I can see the things starting to happen, but we’ve got to be ruthless in front of goal and if you don’t do that then you run the risk of losing the game.”
Scoring Recap:
87’ Rachel Daly (PK) - HOU 1, ORL 0
The Dash were awarded a penalty kick after Kealia Ohai was fouled in the box. Rachel Daly stepped up to the spot, sending Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris the wrong way and finishing to the left side.
Match Notes:
- Defender Julie King made her Orlando Pride debut in the match, registering her first start. The Pride signed King via Discovery earlier this week on August 8. King last played in an NWSL match on September 10, 2017 for the Boston Breakers and recently recovered from ankle surgery.
- Forward Claire Emslie registered her first start as a member of the Pride after making her debut off the bench in their last match.
- Kristen Edmonds made her first appearance for the Pride since April 21 at Reign FC.
- The Pride were shown their first and second red cards of the season in the match in the 61st and 85th minutes respectively, with Julie King and Marta both forced to exit the match. The red cards served as the second and third in Club history, with Marta receiving one against the Dash in 2018.
- The Pride returned from action on Saturday after nearly three weeks off from match play, their last contest a 1-0 victory over Sky Blue on July 20.
Next Match: Orlando Pride close out a three-game homestand when it hosts Utah Royals FC on Saturday, August 17 at Exploria Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
