The Orlando Pride (8-5-4, 28 points) failed to score for the second-consecutive game as they fell 1-0 to Angel City FC (5-7-5, 20 points) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. Alyssa Thompson’s 86th-minute goal was the difference as the Pride lost in the state of California for the first time.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made three changes to the team that played the Kansas City Current to a scoreless draw Saturday night. Oihane, Ally Lemos, and Simone Jackson entered the lineup for Rafaelle, Prisca Chilufya, and Barbra Banda.
The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Carson Pickett, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Oihane. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield between wingers Jackson and Ally Watt, with Marta and Lemos up top.
It was a deserved win for Angel City, which was the more threatening team, especially in the second half. Other than a pair of early saves by Angel City goalkeeper Hannah Seabert and a Watt shot off the post, the Pride didn’t threaten much. Meanwhile, they spent nearly the entire second half defending.
The hosts got off to an attacking start, creating two early chances. In the third minute, Evelyn Shores sent in a cross with Thompson making a run into the Pride six-yard box. The ball was behind the attacker, going to Sveindis Jonsdottir near the back post. However, the Icelandic international couldn’t get anything on the ball, sending it wide.
A minute later, Riley Tiernan made a long run from midfield to the top of the Pride box. With no defenders closing her down, the rookie shot from 18 yards out, but she couldn’t get much on the ball, allowing Moorhouse to make the easy save.
The Pride had their first chance in the sixth minute when Oihane sent a beautiful ball into Angel City’s six-yard box. Watt ran onto the ball and put it on target, but she placed it near Seabert, who did well to block the ball wide with her left foot.
In the 11th minute, Watt won a corner kick that nearly turned into the game’s opening goal. The short corner was backheeled by Marta to Jackson making an overlapping run. The rookie’s cross towards the near post found McCutcheon, who redirected it on target. She tried to sneak it inside the near post, but that’s where Seabert had it covered, making another good kick save to keep the game scoreless.
“Keeping away from the goalkeeper. Not allowing the goalkeeper to make a save,” Hines said about what went wrong with the two early chances. “I think there’s been moments where we’ve talked about getting it on frame, but when you’re that close to goal, can you keep it away from the goalkeeper? Get that feeling of hitting the back of the net? I can’t fault them for being in wrong positions, because they’re in the right position. They’re in the positions where we’re asking them to be in, but then it’s just that final execution to put the ball in the back of the net. And whether that’s a mentality, whether that’s execution of the finish is something that we need to change.”
Angel City nearly struck in the 19th minute when Sams knocked the ball off of Jonsdottir’s foot and out of play. Jonsdottir took the long throw-in, sending it all the way into the six-yard box, where Megan Reid got her head to the ball between two Pride defenders. The redirection was on target, but Moorhouse did well to knock it wide with a strong right hand.
After the ensuing corner kick was headed over the end line, the second went all the way through and out for a goal kick, ending the threat.
The Pride had a chance on a long-range free kick in the 21st minute when Reid pushed Watt over about 35 yards from goal. Lemos and Pickett stood over the ball with the latter taking the set piece. She found McCutcheon in the box, but the looping header was just over the crossbar.
The Pride had a great chance in the 31st minute when Angelina quickly turned on a Sams pass and sent Watt down the right. Rather than going for goal herself, Watt sent the ball into the six-yard box where Jackson was making a run. However, it was just a bit too far in front of the midfielder.
Jonsdottir sent another long throw into the box in the 42nd minute that was headed back out to her. The attacker played it to Madison Hammond, who tried to chip Moorhouse. However, the Pride goalkeeper stayed on her line, making the easy catch.
A minute later, Watt made a run into the box from the right. She tried to send a cross into the six, but Shores got in front to knock it out for a corner kick.
The set piece ended up with Pickett outside the box. Reid got her head to the left back’s shot, deflecting the attempt out of play for another corner kick.
The second set piece wound up with Oihane well outside of the box. The right back sent a long shot towards goal, but it continued to elevate, soaring over the crossbar.
The final chance of the half was for the hosts in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Thompson’s cross was too high and collected by Miyabi Moriya on the far side. However, Thompson made a run into the box from the left, beating Oihane to the cross. Her volley was on target but didn’t create any trouble for Moorhouse.
After 45 minutes, Angel City had the edge in possession (60%-40%), shots on target (4-2), crosses (8-6), and passing accuracy (91%-84%). The Pride had more total shot attempts (7-4) and corner kicks (5-2) in the first half.
Hines made three changes during the break. Dyke, Chilufya, and Summer Yates came into the game for Oihane, Jackson, and Lemos.
“They were incorporating more of a higher press, so we felt we needed to have that threat in behind,” Hines said about the halftime substitutions. “So playing Prisca as a nine to keep their back line a little bit more honest would create more spaces for the likes of (Angelina), Marta, Haley, Summer to get on the ball more.”
It only took Angel City 25 seconds to create the first chance of a dominant second half. Hammond received a pass and laid it off for Tiernan, who fired from the top corner of the box. Her shot was beyond the reach of Moorhouse but just wide of the far post.
In the 48th minute, a long throw by Jonsdottir was headed out by McCutcheon for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Kennedy Fuller found the head of Shores, but her shot was wide.
Jonsdottir carried the ball down to the end line and into the box in the 52nd minute before laying it off for Hammond. The midfielder’s first touch was a shot, but it was deflected wide of the goal.
Two minutes later, Fuller took a shot in the box that was blocked out by Pickett for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was long, with Shores collecting it on the far side. The defender took a chance of her own, sending it straight to Moorhouse.
It was all Angel City early in the second half, but the Pride were nearly the ones that opened the scoring. Watt made a long run in the 55th minute into the Angel City box. The attacker created enough space from Shores to shoot, pinging it off the right post. It was the only shot the Pride took in the second half.
On the other end, Angel City nearly scored when Tiernan did well to keep possession before finding Moriya making a run into the box. The Japanese international aimed a shot for the far post, sending it just wide.
In the 60th minute, Thompson found Fuller near the penalty spot. The attacker didn’t have any defenders on her, but the pass was a little bit behind her. As a result, Fuller couldn’t get much on her shot.
When play stopped about 30 seconds later, Hines made his fourth change of the game as Kerry Abello came on for Pickett.
Jonsdottir tried to use some nifty footwork in the 62nd minute to lose Abello, but the Pride substitute knocked the ball out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Fuller found Thompson, whose shot was blocked by Abello, who turned in a good defensive 30 minutes off the bench. The ball went to Macey Hodge, who laid it off for Shores. The defender tried to chip the ball into the six for Reid’s back-post run. However, as Moorhouse caught the chip, Reid slammed into the goalkeeper, giving the Pride a free kick to clear the danger.
Jonsdottir made a strong run from the right in the 72nd minute, nearly reaching the Pride box before Abello knocked it out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece ended up with Hammond, who shot from the top of the box, but Nadaner got in front to head it out behind the goal. The second corner kick found Shores near the penalty spot. The defender volleyed the ball towards goal, but only Pride players were near, enabling them to clear it.
Christen Press and Maiara Niehues came on in the 72nd minute and it didn’t take long for them to get involved. In the 76th minute, Press couldn’t handle a throw-in, but Niehues took the ball off of Angelina’s foot. The substitute fired off a shot from outside the box that was deflected wide of the goal by Angelina.
Shores got her head to the ensuing corner kick, but the defender sent it wide.
Hines made his final change in the 79th minute as Julie Doyle came on for Watt.
In the 81st minute, Press tried to make something happen on her own, cutting inside to lose McCutcheon and creating enough space for a shot. Angelina did well to get in front and block the attempt. The block sent the ball to Hodge behind the play, and the midfielder sent her shot harmlessly wide.
Sarah Gorden played the ball forward for Niehues in the 85th minute, who immediately found Press near the top of the box. Press took a touch before sending a shot towards the far post that Moorhouse did well to get down and tip wide.
The ensuing corner kick bounced around before Tiernan took possession. The rookie used impressive ball control to avoid the defenders before sending a shot towards goal. The blocked attempt was gathered on the left by Thompson, who took a couple of touches inside before shooting from just inside the box. Moorhouse was in position to make the stop, but the ball took a slight deflection off McCutcheon’s head, going inside the far post to give Angel City a deserved 1-0 lead.
It was the first goal the Pride had conceded in nearly four games in Los Angeles. Previously, they outscored Angel City 5-0 at BMO Stadium. It was also the first goal the Pride have conceded after the 75th minute this season.
The fourth official displayed five minutes of stoppage time, but that didn’t help the Pride. They were unable to create anything in the dying moments, limping to a disappointing 1-0 defeat.
At full time, Angel City had the advantage in possession (58%-42%), shots (23-8), shots on target (7-2), crosses (16-9), corner kicks (10-5), and passing accuracy (87%-80).
“Disappointed. Wasn’t good enough. We’ll all hold our hands up,” Hines said about the performance. “You know, the Angel City team were a lot more aggressive. We created some good opportunities early on, and these are opportunities that we must take in the game. And it can have a whole different result if we take those. There was some good defending, throwing bodies on the line, but, you know, it wasn’t meant to be. We ended up coming away with a 1-0 defeat in the end. So we’ll review it, we’ll get back to the drawing board, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
“We’re all truly disappointed in the result. I think on the road, yeah, it’s a tough place to play, but at this point, we have to get these points,” Pickett added. “And I think we all know it wasn’t the performance we wanted coming here.”
The Pride tried desperately to hold on in the second half but were on their heels the whole 45 minutes. They were outshot 19-1 after the break, with their only chance being Watt’s shot off the post.
“I think away from home, you’re already kind of under the gun, and I think there’s a great crowd here. But there’s really no excuses for us, and we know that as a team,” Pickett said about the second half. “We know that we just have to try and keep the ball back in the net and find a way to get these points. We know that we can be better as a team, but we’re just as focused on, honestly, staying together, sticking together, and finding a way moving forward.”
Angel City ended a series of streaks in this game. It was the team’s first win since May 9, ending a nine-game winless run. It was also their first win under new head coach Alexander Straus. It’s also the first time Angel City has ever claimed points against the Pride in Los Angeles, having lost the first three meetings in the City of Angels.
The Pride entered the match unbeaten in California, having gone 3-0-0 against Angel City, 2-0-0 against Bay FC, and 2-0-1 against San Diego Wave FC in their first eight games in the state.
With this loss, the Pride remained in third in the NWSL standings, a point behind the Wave and tied on points with the Washington Spirit. They’re only two points ahead of the Portland Thorns and three ahead of the Seattle Reign. Since this was the first game of the weekend, the Pride could drop multiple places.
Orlando has been shut out in two straight matches, and scored only because of an own goal in the previous game against Racing Louisville. The last Pride player to score a goal was Chilufya on Aug. 3 against Utah — a span of almost 300 minutes.
The Pride will have to shake this loss off as they continue to search for their first win since the summer break ended. They take the field again Friday, Aug. 29 as they welcome NJ/NY Gotham FC to Inter&Co Stadium.