Orlando Pride (5-0-3, 18 points) vs Bay FC (2-6-0, 6 points)
When: Saturday, May 11, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: INTER&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
TV: ION
Tickets: Pups with Pride match
As the Pride host expansion team Bay FC, here are five things to watch for on Saturday night:
Back in the Lab[rador]
Saturday’s match against the Pride and Bay FC will serve as the inaugural meeting between the two sides with Bay joining the NWSL this season as an expansion team. The Pride have had recent success in inaugural matches against NWSL expansion teams, winning their two most recent ones 1-0 over Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave, both back in the 2022 season.
They are the Shih Tzu
Orlando has tied a club record with five straight wins, a record they first set back in the 2017 season. The Club is also currently riding an eight-game unbeaten streak to start the 2024 NWSL season. It is the longest streak in Club history to start the season and is the second-longest single-season unbeaten streak in the team’s regular season history. The Pride’s only longer unbeaten run within the regular season was a 10-game run to end 2017 through the first game of 2018.
A Terrier in the League
Barbra Banda has continued her success since joining the NWSL and the Pride, scoring the lone goal and the game winning goal for the Club in their last match against Racing Louisville. Banda now has four goals and two assists over her last three games. Those six goal contributions are the second most in team history over a three-game span since Alex Morgan had seven contributions back in August of 2017. Last season, Brazilian internationals Marta and Adriana were the only Pride players with four or more goals and two or more assists.
An English Bulldog
Making three saves in the match against Louisville, including one crucial kick save to preserve the victory, goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse achieved 100 regular season saves. She also secured her third clean sheet of the season, which is tied for the most amongst goalkeepers this season alongside Kailen Sheridan of the San Diego Wave and Casey Murphy of the North Carolina Courage. The shutout also counted as the English international’s 10th regular season shutout of her Pride career, which is second-most in Club history.
A Newfoundland Mark
The match against Louisville saw a couple of more “firsts” from Pride players with defender Emily Sams picking up her first NWSL assist and midfielder Ally Lemos earning her first NWSL start. Both players were the Pride’s First Round picks over the previous two drafts with Sams being selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft and Lemos being selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Milestone Tracker
- Adriana’s next goal would be her seventh with the Club and put her in a tie for seventh place in Club history with most goals scored.
- Kerry Abello is two appearances away from 50 regular season appearances, all of which have been with the Pride.
- Marta is two assists away from 20 in her NWSL career.
- Marta is four appearances away from 100 regular season appearances, all of which have come with the Pride.
