Match Report: Adriana scores as Pride drop 2-1 result to San Diego Wave

ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 25, 2023) – Orlando Pride (7-9-1, 22 points) were defeated by the San Diego Wave (8-6-3, 27 points) on Friday night at Exploria Stadium by a 2-1 scoreline. The Pride will next travel to Seattle, looking to bounce back against the OL Reign on Sunday, Sept. 3. 

Adriana scored the lone goal for the Pride on the night, finding the back of the net just before halftime. The goal counted as her fourth goal of the season, which is second-most on the Club. Marta earned the assist on her fellow Brazilian international’s finish, counting for her third of the season and her second in as many games. Both players now have two goal contributions each for the Club since returning from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Scoring Summary:

7’ Abby Dahlkemper – SD 1, ORL 0 
The Wave opened the scoring after a corner kick was sent in and bounced around the box. The ball eventually fell to the foot of Abby Dahlkemper who was able to get a shot off that hit the crossbar and went over the line.  

44’ Adriana (Marta) – ORL 1, SD 1 
The Pride found the leveler with Marta cutting the ball back and forth a few times, dancing around her Wave defender and whipping a ball across the face of goal. Adriana was at the back post and was able to head the cross easily into the back of the net.  

75’ Kyra Carusa (Makenzy Doniak) – SD 2, ORL 1 
The visitors regained the lead after Makenzy Doniak sliced in a corner kick that found the head of Kyra Carusa, who was able to head the ball down and into the net.

Head Coach Seb Hines:

“It is a strange one. I thought we did enough to win the game, but football doesn’t always work out like that. We have been in this situation before or I sat in this seat multiple times where we felt like we had done enough to win the game, it just hasn’t fallen our way. I think the first 20 minutes of the game, we were kind of passive. We changed that and had more intensity to our press, putting them under pressure and caused a lot of problems with turnovers and we got ourselves back into the game. It was a brilliant goal with Marta’s brilliance and a great finish from Adri[ana]. Second half we started fast and also put a lot of pressure on San Diego and then they punished us off a set piece and we just couldn’t get ourselves back in the game. Just fallen a bit short, but I am proud of the players and the effort they put into the game.”

Match Notes:

• Adriana netted her fourth goal of the season, two of which have come against the Wave. 
• Marta earned the assist on Adriana’s finish, marking her third of the campaign earning a helper in back-to-back matches. 
• San Diego’s seventh-minute goal snapped the Pride’s shutout streak at 322 minutes, with their last previous goal conceded on June 24.  
• The 7,556 attendance is the largest crowd at Exploria Stadium for the Pride since Oct. 12, 2019, when they played to a 2-2 draw against the OL Reign. 
• Head Coach Seb Hines made no changes to the starting lineup on Friday night following the Club’s 5-0 victory over the Red Stars.

Next Match: The Pride will make the cross-country trip to take on OL Reign at Lumen Field on Sunday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET with the match available to stream on Paramount+ and will also be broadcasted locally on FOX35 PLUS.