ORLANDO, Fla. (July 16, 2022) - Orlando Pride (3-3-5, 12 points) is set to face off against the Washington Spirit (1-6-5, 9 points) on Sunday, July 17 at 5 p.m. ET at Audi Field. The match will be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally on Twitch.
“[Last match is] something to build on. We played really well against Houston, it would have been nice to get a couple more goals,” Acting Head Coach Seb Hines said. “The three points was important for us. We have to build momentum. Get a draw against Louisville and get three points against Houston and then now we are looking to get the three points against Washington.”
The Pride enter the weekend after their first regular season home win, beating the Houston Dash on July 8. The 1-0 shutout at Exploria Stadium came after Kylie Strom forced an own goal off a Houston defender in the 79th minute. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod made two saves to lock in the clean sheet and help the Pride earn the victory. The win also marked the first victory for Hines at the helm of the Pride.
The Washington Spirit will return to the pitch following a 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Current. Kansas City found the back of the net in the 68th minute for the lone goal of the match. The Spirit’s only victory of the regular season came in the team’s season opener against the OL Reign back on May 1.
This is the second matchup between the two sides during the regular season. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium back on May 22. The Pride scored stoppage time goals from Mikayla Cluff and Darian Jenkins to complete the comeback and split the points. The 98th minute equalizer from Jenkins served as the latest NWSL regular season goal ever recorded, clocking in at 97:53.
Both teams will see players unavailable due to international duty, with the Spirit facing a much longer list than the Pride. For Orlando, only midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir remains on international duty, currently competing in the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Euro Championships with Iceland. On the Spirit side, seven are out all with the USWNT at the Concacaf W Championship: Ashley Hatch, Aubrey Kingsbury, Kelley O’Hara, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, Emily Sonnett and Andi Sullivan.
Following Sunday’s contest, the Pride will continue their stretch on the road and head to Kansas City to take on the Current on July 31 at Children’s Mercy Park. Kickoff for the match is set for 7 p.m. ET.
