LOUISVILLE, KY. (Oct. 16, 2021) - Orlando Pride (7-9-7, 28 points) fell 3-1 to Racing Louisville FC (5-12-5, 20 points) after three unanswered goals by the hosts on Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium. With the loss, the Pride are eliminated from playoff contention.
The Pride opened the scoring in the third minute, the team’s lone goal of the match, when Alex Morgan threaded a through ball to Jodie Taylor, who got on the end of it and found the back of the net. Seconds before the halftime whistle, Racing Louisville equalized off a Ebony Salmon goal. Louisville would go on to score another pair of goals in the second half.
Midfielder Emily van Egmond made her return to the Pride on the night, entering the match as a substitute in the 76th minute. Interim head coach Becky Burleigh made only one change to the lineup from the midweek, with Erin McLeod starting in net.
Orlando Pride Interim Head Coach Becky Burleigh:
“It's obviously a tough one to swallow given the implications of the match. Clearly, we started off great and just couldn't maintain the momentum and giving up the goal right before halftime, clearly not ideal. Still felt like at halftime we were very much there for the taking as far as being in the game. I just think there were some opportunities that we didn't take advantage of and they [Louisville] took advantage of theirs. There’s really not much that I can say at the end to make anyone feel any better because, when you know you're in an elimination game, it's just tough to swallow.”
Scoring Recap:
3’ Jodie Taylor (Alex Morgan) - ORL 1, LOU 0
Orlando got on the board first after Alex Morgan charged down the middle of the field, threading the ball through to Jodie Taylor, who took the right-footed shot and found the back of the net.
45+ 1’ Ebony Salmon (Yuki Nagasato) - ORL 1, LOU 1
Louisville equalized moments before halftime after Yuki Nagasato picked a pass off the Orlando backline and found Ebony Salmon in front of goal, who finished with a right-footed shot.
52’ Katie McClure - LOU 2, ORL 1
Louisville got its first of the second half when Katie McClure scored from inside the six-yard box, getting the close angle on Erin McLeod.
77’ Yuki Nagasato (Ebony Salmon) - LOU 3, ORL 1
Louisville added a third when Ebony Salmon sent a ball behind the Orlando backline and Nagasato was able to get on the end of it and slot the ball past the keeper.
Match Notes:
- Jodie Taylor’s opening goal of the match was her third of the 2021 season.
- Taylor’s third-minute strike was the third fastest goal in Orlando Pride history, with the team scoring twice in the second minute during the 2018 season.
- Erin McLeod starting between the posts was the only change from Wednesday’s starting XI. The start served as McLeod’s fifth appearance for the Pride.
- Emily van Egmond made her first appearance with Orlando since July 20, 2019, a 1-0 win over then Sky Blue FC. Van Egmond was re-signed by the Pride at the end of September after spending a season with England’s West Ham.
- The Pride are eliminated from 2021 playoff contention with the defeat.
Next Match: The Pride play their last match of the 2021 season at Exploria Stadium on Friday, Oct. 29, hosting the Chicago Red Stars in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Jodie Taylor (Alex Morgan) 3’
LOU - Ebony Salmon (Yuki Nagasato) 45’ + 1’
LOU - Katie McClure 52’
LOU - Yuki Nagasato (Ebony Salmon) 77’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Jodie Taylor (Yellow Card) 16’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando Pride - GK Erin McLeod; D Ali Riley (Emily van Egmond 76’), Ali Krieger ©, Amy Turner, Courtney Petersen; M Gunny Jónsdóttir (Taylor Kornieck 58’), Marta, Marisa Viggiano (Erika Tymrak 59’); F Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Jodie Taylor (Toni Pressley 65’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Kaylie Collins; D Carrie Lawrence, Phoebe McClernon, Kylie Strom; M Meggie Dougherty Howard
Racing Louisville FC - GK Katie Lund; D Julia Ashley (Sinclaire Miramontez 83’), Nealy Martin, Kaleigh Riehl, Emily Fox; M Taylor Otto, Lauren Milliet (Cheyna Matthews 83’), Katie McClure (Freja Olofsson 70’), Yuki Nagasato (Emina Ekic 89’); F Cece Kizer, Ebony Salmon (Jorian Baucom 89’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Michelle Betos; D Erin Simon, Brooke Hendrix; F Vanessa Kara
Details of the Game:
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: October 16, 2021
Attendance: 8,488
Stats Summary: ORL / LOU
Possession: 57.9% / 42.1%
Shots: 10 / 13
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 3 / 2
Corner Kicks: 0 / 5
Fouls: 4 / 9
Offside: 1 / 3
Officials:
REF: Matt Franz
AR1: Brooke Mayo
AR2: Mike Nickerson
4TH: Youssef Elmessoussi
