ORLANDO, Fla. (August 16, 2019) - Orlando Pride (3-10-2, 11 points) is set to host Utah Royals FC (7-6-3, 24 points) on Saturday, August 17 at Exploria Stadium, closing out a three game home stand. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm. ET with tickets available to purchase here.
The match will be available to stream on Yahoo! Sports, with international fans able to tune in on NWSLsoccer.com.
“[Utah] brings Christen Press and Amy Rodriguez, they’re very good players in this league and have been for a while and we have to do well to contain them. Christen scored last time we played at home so we know the danger of them and we know we have to stop that danger,” Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “They’re a very good team. There’s no surprise, they had a little bit of a rough patch, but there’s no surprise that they’re putting in performances where they’re getting those goals. We’ve got to do what we do, prepare for those and be ready to beat them anyway regardless of who they’ve got.”
The Pride will look to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to the Houston Dash this past Saturday. Rachel Daly scored the game-winner for the Dash in the 87th minute, converting from the penalty spot after a controversial foul call. The Pride were reduced to nine players in the match, with Julie King and Marta both being shown red cards in the 61st and 85th minutes respectively.
Marta leads the Pride with four finishes this season, followed by Chioma Ubogagu with three. Joanna Boyles leads the team with two assists.
Utah comes into the match following a 3-1 victory at Reign FC last Sunday. Katie Stengel opened the scoring for the Royals early in the third minute, only to be answered by the Reign’s Shea Groom in the 41st minute. The Royals would then go on to score two after the break with Lo’eau Labonta and Rodriguez finding the back of the net in the 59th and 67th minutes respectively to earn all three points for the road team.
Rodriguez leads the Royals with seven finishes this season, tied for third in NWSL, followed by Press with five. Vero Boquete and Gunny Jonsdottir lead Utah with three assists each this season.
Saturday’s contest will serve as the third and final between the two sides this season, with the Pride looking to avenge losses to the Royals in their previous two matchups. Following Saturday’s match, the Pride face a quick turnaround, set to face the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday, August 21 at SeatGeek Stadium.
