WASHINGTON — (Oct. 18, 2025) – Orlando Pride (11-8-6, 39 points) beat the Washington Spirit (12-5-8, 44 points) via a 3-2 scoreline on Saturday afternoon at Audi Field. The Pride are now unbeaten in their last four trips to Audi Field in regular season play, coming away with all three points in three of those four matches.
Washington took a short-lived lead in the 35th minute from a Pride own goal, but three minutes later, Kerry Abello fired a rocket from just outside the top of the box to equalize. Abello's goal was her first of the season and first since Nov. 2, 2024, when she scored against the Seattle Reign.
The back-and-forth affair saw the Pride go down by a goal again as the two teams headed into the break. Marta came on for the Pride at halftime and made an immediate impact, finding space on the right side of the field and firing a ball into the box that deflected off Spirit midfielder Narumi Miura and into the back of the net. The Pride have now forced six own goals this season, which ties the NWSL record for most in a single campaign.
Orlando took the lead after Ally Watt was brought down in the Spirit box and earned a penalty kick. Captain Marta stepped up to the spot, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and converted for her fourth goal of the NWSL regular season. Marta has now successfully converted 14 penalty kicks in her NWSL career, which is tied for the NWSL record.
The Pride now enter an international break before hosting the final game of the 2025 NWSL regular season at Inter&Co Stadium. They will welcome the Seattle Reign on Sunday, Nov. 2, with the time of the match still to be determined. The Pride currently sit in third place and will look to finish in the top four of the standings to secure a first-round home game in the NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel.
Scoring Summary:
35’ Kerry Abello (Own Goal) – WAS 1, ORL 0
38’ Kerry Abello (Haley McCutcheon) – ORL 1, WAS 1
42’ Sofia Cantore (Paige Metayer) – WAS 2, ORL 1
47’ Narumi Miura (Own Goal) – ORL 2, WAS 2
72’ Marta (Penalty Kick) - ORL 3, WAS 2
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Great game and a great result. We were disappointed with the goals that we conceded, but we showed a lot of resilience to come back and win the game. Credit to all the players and the staff as it has been a journey to get here. We now hold our own destiny in trying to reach that top four spot. I think anytime we play Washington, it is always an emotional game, and it is competitive. Both teams are going after it. For the neutrals it was a good game.”
Match Notes:
- Kerry Abello scored her first goal of the season and the third in her NWSL career.
- Marta scored her fourth goal of the regular season and her fifth across all competitions this year. The four regular season goals are second-most on the Pride during the 2025 campaign.
- Marta converted her 14th penalty kick, tying Lo LaBonta and Megan Rapinoe for the all-time NWSL record.
- Marta also became the oldest player to convert a penalty kick in an NWSL regular season match.
- Haley McCutcheon recorded her fourth assist of the season on the Abello finish, which leads the team.
- The Pride have now forced six own goals this season, which is tied for the league record in a single season alongside the Chicago Stars, who did it in 2021.
- Orlando is now unbeaten in its last four straight road matches against the Spirit in regular season play.
- Orlando won its 11th game of the season, tying the Club record for the second most wins in Club history; the Pride finished last season with 18 wins.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made no changes to the starting lineup from the Club’s last 1-0 win against the Portland Thorns.
Next Match:
The Orlando Pride will head into an international break before the final game of the NWSL regular season at Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, against the Seattle Reign. The time and broadcast for that match are currently TBD.
