WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 22, 2021) - Orlando Pride (5-5-6, 21 points) fell 2-1 on the road on Sunday afternoon to host Washington Spirit (6-5-4, 22 points) at Audi Field. In the 68th minute, Marta scored the Pride’s lone goal of the match, the Brazilian’s eighth-career goal against the D.C.-based team. Jodie Taylor picked up the assist on the play, her first assist of the season.
Despite the Pride taking a 1-0 lead, the home team rallied to score two second-half goals to take all three points on the day.
Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris made five saves in the match, with the Pride captain just two saves away from tying former NWSL goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart for the all-time league lead in regular season saves. Barnhart’s record stands at 468, while Harris has 466 to her name.
Orlando Pride Interim Head Coach Becky Burleigh:
“That was a tough one to swallow. I felt like we kind of grew into the game and felt pretty good about where we were. But credit to them [Washington] for coming back and for scoring two goals, because I felt like that was a game that was ready for us to take. So, disappointed with the result but, at the same time, I think we’ll find some good things in there about the way that we played.”
Scoring Recap:
68’ Marta (Jodie Taylor) - ORL 1, WAS 0
Marta got the Pride on the board first, on a play that started with Sydney Leroux tackling the ball away deep into the Spirit zone. The ball ultimately found Marta’s feet and, after a few quick moves, the forward blasted in a low, driven shot to the corner from 25 yards out.
70’ Ashley Hatch - ORL 1, WAS 1
The home side answered back just minutes later, with Ashley Hatch in the right position on a Pride missed clearance, leveling things in the 70th minute.
89’ Ashley Sanchez (Trinity Rodman) - WAS 2, ORL 1
Washington took the lead late in the match after second-half substitute Ashley Sanchez scored on a long-distance shot.
Match Notes:
Marta recorded her eighth career goal against the Spirit on Sunday afternoon, the most any Pride player has scored against any opponent in Club history. The forward has played 10 total games against Washington.
The assist on Marta’s goal marked the first for Jodie Taylor in her Pride career, the forward’s seventh in the NWSL.
With five saves on Sunday, Ashlyn Harris now holds 466 career saves, which means the goalkeeper is now three saves away from breaking Nicole Barnhart’s record for all-time regular season saves.
With 90 minutes played, Marta moves into third place for minutes played by a member of the Pride, her total now at 5,518 to pass Kristen Edmond’s 5,460.
Marta’s goal also extends her team-lead for career goals to 25 all-time.
Sunday’s defeat marked the first time the Pride have fallen under Becky Burleigh after picking up a win and two draws in the coach’s first three matches.
Next Match: The Pride remain on the road next weekend, traveling to face NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday, Aug. 29. That match will kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET at Red Bull Arena.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Marta (Jodie Taylor) 68’
WAS - Ashley Hatch 70’
WAS - Ashley Sanchez (Trinity Rodman) 89’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Amy Turner (Yellow Card) 45+1’
ORL - Kylie Strom (Yellow Card) 76’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando Pride - GK Ashlyn Harris ©; D Ali Riley (Phoebe McClernon 65’), Ali Krieger, Amy Turner, Courtney Petersen (Kylie Strom 65’); Gunny Jónsdóttir, Meggie Dougherty Howard (Taylor Kornieck 69’), Marisa Viggiano (Erika Tymrak 69’); F Marta, Jodie Taylor, Sydney Leroux
Substitutes Not Used: GK Erin McLeod; D Ally Haran, Toni Pressley; F Abi Kim, Crystal Thomas
Washington Spirit - GK Aubrey Bledsoe; D Saori Takarada (Cam Biegalski 66’), Sam Staab, Anna Heilferty (Kelley O’Hara 46’), Paige Nielsen (Emily Sonnett 46’); M Andi Sullivan, Dorian Bailey, Tori Huster; F Trinity Rodman, Tara McKeown (Ashley Sanchez 65’), Ashley Hatch
Substitutes Not Used: GK Devon Kerr; D Tegan McGrady; M Julia Roddar, Taylor Aylmer; F Kumi Yokoyama
Details of the Game:
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Weather: Cloudy
Date: Aug. 22, 2021
Attendance: 6,002
Stats Summary: ORL / WAS
Possession: 59.7% / 40.3%
Shots: 12 / 20
Shots on Goal: 4 / 7
Saves: 5 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3
Fouls: 5 / 12
Offside: 3 / 0
Officials:
REF: Tori Penso
AR1: Jeffrey Skinker
AR2: Max Smith
4TH: Scarlet Agrawal
