1. It was late. Like, literally the last kick of the game late. But the Orlando Pride found a way to secure all three points at home against the Houston Dash, winning 1-0.
2. Coming off an international break, the match was always going to be a bit of a weird one. A week off games makes it hard to carry momentum over from a full two weeks ago, but the Pride played a much better second half than the first, creating seven of their eight shots on target in the second half.
3. Hats off to Houston goalkeeper Abby Smith. A stone wall for the Dash, especially in the second half, almost kept a clean sheet and earned her team a point. Even Head Coach Seb Hines gave her a tip of the cap in his postgame presser.
4. The woman of the hour and an unlikely hero for the Pride. With the literal last kick of the match, Cori Dyke sent the crowd at Inter&Co Stadium into delerium, scoring her first professional goal. A great move from Summer Yates to get into the box and create space for a cross that fell kindly to the fullback waiting on the back post, and a touch and shot later, and Cori's wheeling away in celebration with her teammates. "Those are the moments you dream about," Dyke said after the match. "To have that happen was so special."
5. Dyke's goal was the third goal via a substitue for the Pride this year and the seveth goal in the last 15 minutes of a second half, more than any other team in the NWSL this season on both accounts. It's equal parts resilience and belief in one another that help this Pride team have those special late-game moments.
6. It was a big moment for Julie Doyle, who started her first match of the season and played in her first match since March 14, the first game of the season. "It was a challenge for Julie, but she stood up to the challenge, and we got a good 45 minutes out," Hines said after the match.
7. While Pride had moments in the first half, the introduction of Barbra Banda and Marta into the match in the second half helped shift the game in the home side's favor. Banda created two shots on target to go along with her five shots in the match, which led the team. Marta, in her 29 minutes of play, created three chances, which was second on the team. Hines spoke afterwards about the amount of games for these players, having just traveled from international duty, so getting them a bit of a rest and having them come on as difference-makers was a massive boon for the team.
8. It was also a special night for defender and co-captain Kylie Nadaner, who played in her 100th game for the Pride tonight. Having joined back in 2022, Kylie has been a rock for the Pride over the past two seasons, taking up a leadership role in 2023 and cementing herself as someone everyone at the Club looks up to. Dyke even said after the game: "I would run through a brick wall for Kylie. I told her that after the game, 'That was all for you.'"
9. The Pride now look ahead to their next match on the road, traveling across the country to San Jose, California, to take on Bay FC. That game will kick off on Friday, June 13, at 10 p.m. ET.
