A lot of expectation for this Orlando Pride squad that face an Angel City side that had former Orlando Pride players in the likes of Meggie Dougherty Howard, Messiah Bright and Ali Riley. Some pundits said that Angel City is a clear contender to win the NWSL, so a win for the Pride would’ve sent shockwaves to the whole league. Orlando lineup with a 4-3-3 system meanwhile Angel City did so to a 4-2-3-1.
In the first half, Orlando Pride dominated all chances in attack. Marta, Adriana, and Angelina created the most chances for Orlando in the first half. Defensively, great performance by Kerry Abello playing the center back alongside Brianna Martinez, solid defense by the young starlets. Marta had a goal for the Pride, but it was disallowed due to offside. Also, in the 45th minute, she shot a curler that almost went in, and the Angel City defense barely cleared it to a corner kick. Overall, great job by the Pride; all they need to work on is their finishing. They also had Angel City against the ropes, and they pretty much were defending the whole first half. It was a very choppy game with a few attacking chances, but the few of those were purple and blue. Onto the second half.
First Half Stats:
In the second half, 52 minutes in, and a penalty kick was awarded to Angel City. Meggie Dougherty Howard made a great 1v1 play against Angelina, and the Brazilian knocked her in the box. Emslie scored; it was a well-taken penalty. Angel City was up 0-1. It seemed that Meggie Dougherty Howard was playing with a lot of vindication in the second half; she was the most incisive and the one who created several plays for Angel City. Brianna Martinez, Haley McCutcheon, and Kerry Abello were phenomenal in stopping Angel City in its tracks. Frustration started to ensue for the Pride, and the game started to become harder to handle for the women in purple. Seb Hines made the right moves and made some substitutions in the second half. The likes of Amanda Allen, Larroquette, Luana, and Summer Yates made a huge difference. Orlando Pride started creating more attacking plays, but they could not finish off the play. Time was passing by, and even more frustration started to ensue. In the 88th minute, off a set piece, Marta leveled it for the Pride. The GOAT was assisted by Angelina. The Wall went nuts. It was well deserved since the Pride created most of the attacking chances in the final minutes of the match.
Vamos Pride!
