ORLANDO, Fla. (March 29, 2024) – The Orlando Pride (0-0-3, 3 points) played the Chicago Red Stars (2-0-1, 7 points) to a 1-1 draw on Friday night at INTER&Co Stadium. The Pride’s lone goal came after Angelina swung in a corner kick and the ball was headed by a Red Stars defender for an own goal.
For the second-straight match, Angelina was at the forefront of helping the Pride score. Last match, she provided the assist on Marta’s goal via corner kick and then put the ball into a dangerous position in tonight’s match to help earn the opening goal.
For the first time in Club history, the Pride have scored from a set piece in three-consecutive matches dating back to the goal by Summer Yates against Louisville, Marta’s goal last match and the own goal against Chicago. With three points so far this season, it is the first time the Club has remained unbeaten through their first three games since 2021.
The Pride will play their next match on Friday, April 12 when they travel to Sandy, Utah to take on the Utah Royals FC at America First Field. The match will kickoff at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
21’ Taylor Malham (Own Goal) –* ORL 1, CHI 0*
The Pride scored first after an Angelina corner kick was deflected off the head of Chicago defender Taylor Malham for an own goal.
64’ Mallory Swanson (Jenna Bike) – ORL 1, CHI 1
The Red Stars were able to pull one back after Jenna Bike led an attack deep into the Orlando defensive third. Bike sent a high-arching pass behind the Pride’s defense to Mallory Swanson, who was able to send a low shot that snuck past the goalkeeper to the lower-left corner of the net.
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“I felt we controlled the majority of the game. I thought we got in some really good areas. I think the last part of that is to get more shots on frame, make the goalkeeper work a little bit harder. But overall, I was pleased with the attitude, the desire to go and try and win the game. Chicago, coming into this game, were at the top of the table, two games with six points. We knew it was going to be a difficult game and knew that they [Chicago] were going to be stubborn and try to have us break them down. But it’s defined by fine margins, and we continue to grow. We’re still unbeaten, so you take the positives and move forward. We look forward to the next game.”
Match Notes:
- With the own goal, the Pride have now scored in three straight games off of set pieces, which sets a new Club record.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the Starting XI from last week’s draw against Angel City, with Kylie Strom and Luana reentering the fold.
Next Match: The Pride will have a week between their next match, which is slated for Friday, April 12 when they travel to Sandy, Utah to take on the Utah Royals FC at America First Field. The match will kickoff at 9:30 p.m. ET with the match available to stream on Bally Sports locally and on NWSL+.
