ORLANDO, Fla. (June 15, 2019) - Orlando Pride (0-7-2, 2 points) picked up a thrilling point on the road, drawing the Houston Dash (3-2-3, 12 points) 2-2 at BBVA Stadium on Saturday night.
The Pride jumped out to an early lead courtesy of midfielder Joanna Boyles’ first goal of the season before Danica Evans answered two-straight Dash goals with an equalizer late in the match.
Midfielder Dani Weatherholt, who wore the captain’s armband for the fourth time this season, became the Pride’s all-time leader in minutes played after her 90 minute performance. She now stands at 4,718 regular season minutes overall.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“I thought Houston really tested us tonight and tested our resolve but I was really, really pleased with the way that [our players] put up against it. Especially the last five, 10 minutes. I think there was chances, either end, to kind of take the game. I was pretty pleased with everybody to be fair. This is a great stamp on what we think the future [of] Orlando Pride looks like.”
Scoring Recap:
13’ Joanna Boyles - ORL 1, HOU 0
The Pride jumped out to the lead early in the match, after rookie midfielder Joanna Boyles pinpointed a free kick past Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell. After being awarded a free kick at the top of the box due to a handball, Boyles struck a waist-high shot to the right of the wall for her first goal of the year.
47’ Sofia Huerta - ORL 1, HOU 1
The Dash leveled the match to start the second half after Kealia Ohai sent a ball across the face of the goal, finding Sofia Huerta waiting for the tap-in from inside the six-yard box.
67’ Kristie Mewis (Kealia Ohai) - HOU 2, ORL 1
Ohai picked up an assist on the night, laying the ball off for Kristie Mewis at the top of the box. Mewis collected the pass then fired a distance shot with her left foot, low into the opposite corner.
71’ Danica Evans (Joanna Boyles) - ORL 2, HOU 2
Less than a minute after entering the match, Danica Evans pulled the Pride level with her first touch of the game. After a great individual effort from Chioma Ubogagu, the forward pulled the ball back to Boyles who dropped a pass into the middle of the box to a wide open Evans. The third-year Pride player made no mistake, quickly hammering the ball into the net.
Match Notes:
- Joanna Boyles scored her first professional goal on Saturday evening, doing it in style with a perfectly-placed free kick in the 13th minute.
- Boyles goal marked the Pride’s third goal on the season and the third goal scored from a set piece.
- The Pride’s second goal of the night, coming from Danica Evans, marked the team’s first goal from the run of play during the 2019 season thus far. It was Evans’ first goal of the season and the second of her career.
- Orlando entered the half with a 1-0 lead, marking the first time in 2019 that the team has led after the first 45 minutes.
- Dani Weatherholt became the Pride’s all-time minutes leader on Saturday, now sitting at 4,718 career regular season minutes. Kristen Edmonds is second all-time for the Club with 4,629 minutes.
- Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner rolled out the same backline for the fourth straight match, featuring Erin Greening, Morgan Reid, Toni Pressley and Carson Pickett.
- Next Match:
- The Pride finish off a two-game road swing on Saturday, June 22 when they travel to face Sky Blue FC. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Yurcak Field.
