ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 11, 2019) - Orlando Pride (4-14-2, 14 points) fell 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars (11-8-2, 35 points) on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. The Red Stars were reduced to 10 players in the match when Katie Johnson was shown her second yellow card in the 64th minute, but were able to find the breakthrough in stoppage time off the head of Casey Short.
At halftime of Wednesday’s match, the Pride announced the Club’s first-ever Breast Cancer Awareness match, set to take place on Saturday, October 12 in the team’s regular-season finale at Exploria Stadium. In addition, the match events will be bolstered by a league-wide online auction to benefit Libby’s Legacy, an Orlando-based non-profit selected by Pride defender Toni Pressley, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“I think you can see it for yourself. It will be probably the lowest Orlando Pride has been and only from there can you rise up...If I look at the game today, I thought we were excellent. Our mental resilience at the back considering we’ve given away three sloppy goals against Seattle [Reign FC]. We had just— mistakes, rookie mistakes from a counterattack which they know how to defend; they just make decisions that are incorrect because they’re young and inexperienced. That’s the summary of the game, I think you’ve seen it for yourself. It was a sucker punch at the end and we didn’t do enough in the final third thinking wise, we didn’t think enough to be able to score the chances that we should have created more.”
Scoring Recap:
90+5’ Casey Short (Sam Kerr) - CHI 1, ORL 0
The visitors earned the late game-winner when a cross from Sam Kerr from the right side of the box found the head of Casey Short in the middle of the penalty area for the finish.
Match Notes:
- Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris registered six saves in the match, her highest total since she recorded seven in the Pride’s last home match against Utah on August 17. Harris came up with huge saves on the night, including a breakaway stop on Sam Kerr in the 75th minute.
- With her first save of the night, Harris also recorded her 200th save as a member of the Pride.
- Casey Short’s finish in the fifth minute of stoppage time was the second latest that the Pride have conceded this season. Tierna Davidson found the back of the net in the Red Stars last matchup against the Pride in the 96th minute for the latest goal conceded by Orlando this season.
- During the halftime break, the Pride announced their first ever Breast Cancer Awareness match, scheduled for the Club’s 2019 home finale on October 12 against Reign FC.
- Wednesday’s match served as the last at home for the Pride in the month of September. The Pride will travel to North Carolina on Saturday before entering a week off from match play. They then close out the month at Sky Blue on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Next Match: Orlando Pride face a quick turnaround, traveling to face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m ET at WakeMed Soccer Park.
