ORLANDO, Fla. (May 26, 2022) - Orlando Pride (2-2-1, 7 points) is set to face off against the Washington Spirit (1-1-2, 5 points) on Friday, May 27 at 7 p.m. at Exploria Stadium. The match will air nationally on CBS Sports Network, the Pride’s first national broadcast of the season, in the U.S. and internationally on Twitch. Tickets to Friday’s match are available at Orlando-Pride.com or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
“[Washington will] be very good. They have players back. [Kelley] O’Hara’s back, [Andi] Sullivan is back. Honestly, we want to play teams at their best because that’s how we are going to get better,” Head Coach Amanda Cromwell said. “We showed from the first game in the Challenge Cup what we can do defensively, by defending together and having really condensed blocks and making it hard for them. I think in-transition moments is going to be key because they are so fast on the transition, O’Hara loves to fly forward, she joins the midfield and creates overloads. So we just have to make sure we take care of the ball and don’t give them those transition moments.”
Friday will serve as the Club’s Mission Rainbow match, presented by CITY Furniture, kicking off the start of Pride month, while continuing to remember and pay tribute to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy that happened six years ago. A specialty Mission Rainbow merchandise collection will be available to purchase with a portion of the proceeds set to be donated to the OnePulse Foundation, while Pride players will wear rainbow numbers on the back of their Ad Astra kits for the match. Those game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off at a later date, with proceeds going to the Mission Fund.
The Pride are set to face off against a familiar opponent on Friday, as they played the Washington Spirit twice during their run in the Challenge Cup. The two sides played to a 0-0 draw at Exploria Stadium in the first matchup, with Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod making four saves in net. The Pride squared off against the Spirit again at Audi Field, dropping a 4-1 decision with the Orlando’s lone goal coming from Gunny Jónsdóttir.
The Pride are returning to play after most recently suffering a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Red Stars at home. Defender Amy Turner and forward Leah Pruitt both found the back of the net for the Pride, which served as their respective first goals as a member of the Club. Courtney Petersen and Abi Kim picked up assists in the match.
The Washington Spirit are coming off a scoreless draw to the OL Reign last weekend. Aubrey Kingsbury had eight saves in the game, but the Spirit were unable to find the net leading to a draw away at Lumen Field. This Friday’s match marks the third-consecutive away match for Washington.
Following Friday’s contest, the Pride will hit the road and head to Houston to take on the Dash on June 3 at PNC Stadium. Kickoff for the match is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
