ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 1, 2024) – The Orlando Pride (0-0-3, 4 points) and Racing Louisville FC (1-0-2, 6 points) played to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night in the final Group E matchup of NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. Louisville would take the extra point in the end-of-regulation shootout 4-3. With the draw, the Orlando Pride do not advance to the knockout stage but remain unbeaten across all competitions in the 2024 season.
Midfielder Evelina Duljan was the lone goal scorer for the Pride with a header in the first half, the first of her NWSL career. Defender Kerry Abello recorded her third assist of 2024 across all competitions with the set up on the finish.
Scoring Summary
38’ Evelina Duljan (Kerry Abello) – ORL 1, LOU 0
The Pride broke the scoreless draw just before halftime with a header from midfielder Evelina Duljan. Kerry Abello pushed the Orlando attack into the Louisville box before breaking down the defense. Abello sent a cross in to Duljan who beat her defender and headed in the opening goal of the match.
67’ Reilyn Turner (Emma Sears) – ORL 1, LOU 1
Louisville got its equalizer midway through the second half with a header of its own. Emma Sears got a lead pass on the outside and led an attack down the right side of the Orlando defense. From just outside the box, Sears sent in a cross and Reilyn Turner rose above the defense and headed in a shot from just in front of the goal.
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“We’ve had a lot of practice with penalties so that puts us in a good position moving forward. I think, looking back it's been a good test for us, especially with so many players away on international duty. It allowed us to give other players an opportunity to go out there and perform and still stay at a high standard and see where players are at. It’s very difficult to try and replicate real games, competitive games, and this time has allowed us to do that. I think we’re in a really good position going into the regular season knowing where everyone is and still continue to have that high standard that we set early on in the season.”
Match Notes:
- Evelina Duljan scored her first NWSL goal with her first half finish.
- Kerry Abello recorded her third assist of the 2024 campaign and her first in the Summer Cup.
- With the start, Celia made her 70th NWSL appearance across all competitions.
- With the draw, the Pride remain undefeated across all competitions in 2024.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made five changes to the Starting XI from the team’s last match against Rayadas with Anna Moorhouse, Kerry Abello, Haley McCutcheon, Summer Yates and Julie Doyle.
Next Match: The Pride will have a slight break before gearing back up for the NWSL Regular Season. The team is set to travel to Houston take on the Dash on Friday, Aug. 23. The match is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on Prime Video.
