Match Report: Orlando Pride falls on the road to Racing Louisville FC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2023) – The Orlando Pride (9-11-1, 28 points) dropped a 3-2 decision on the road to Racing Louisville FC (7-6-9, 30 points) on Friday night, with the team now set for a critical final home match next Sunday against the Houston Dash.  

The Pride opened things up, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first 21 minutes of the match. Orlando got on the board first via a Marta penalty kick, followed by the first career goal for Kerry Abello. However, started by a first-half stoppage time goal from the hosts, Louisville rallied to score two more in the second half to take all three points on the night.  

With the NWSL table separated by mere points, the Pride will next host the Dash at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 15, with all NWSL matches kicking off at 5 p.m. ET for the final day of the regular season.

Scoring Summary:

17’ Marta (PK) – ORL 1, LOU 0 
The Pride took the lead after a VAR review, with the referee determining Marta drew a foul inside the penalty area. The Pride captain stepped to the spot and calmly beat Katie Lund to her left, giving the Pride an early lead.  

21’ Kerry Abello (Marta) – ORL 2, LOU 0 
Kerry Abello lifted the Pride to a two-goal lead with a strong individual effort, collecting a pass from Marta before dribbling around her defender and blasting the ball in from a tight angle.  

45+1’ Nadia Nadim (PK) – ORL 2, LOU 1 
The home side got on the board with a penalty of their own, with Nadia Nadim scoring in first-half stoppage time from the spot.  

70’ Kirsten Davis (Thembi Kgatlana) – ORL 2, LOU 2 
Louisville leveled things up on the break, with Thembi Kgatlana slotting a ball across the box that Kirsten Davis was able to connect with on a sliding effort in the box.  

74’ Anna Moorhouse (Own Goal) – LOU 3, ORL 2 
Racing Louisville took the lead after an own goal by Anna Moorhouse, with the goalkeeper’s save attempt under pressure on a corner falling into the back of the net.

Head Coach Seb Hines:

“Good start, to go two-nil up away from home. I think we were pretty comfortable and then...We've just looked at the goals [after the game], and it's our own doing. Individual errors that allow Louisville to win the game. It's something that we haven't seen recently, we've been [playing] really good. And, I hate to make excuses, but with the travel and injuries and so on, played part in the in the game. I can never fault the players’ efforts. They were brilliant, they battled all the way to the final whistle. And that's been a theme throughout the season. There's been the standards, we haven't always got the result at the end of it but today was disappointing considering where we were at the start the game.”

Match Notes:

• Marta recorded her 30th goal on the night, becoming the 13th player in NWSL history to record 30 goals with one club.  
• Abello’s 21st minute strike marked the first goal of her professional career.  
• Marta earned the assist on Abello’s goal, her fourth of the season, tying her with Adriana for the team lead in the category.  
• With the start, Celia recorded her 50th career NWSL regular season appearance, with 26 coming as a member of the Pride.  
• Head Coach Seb Hines made three changes to his starting XI, with Celia, Kerry Abello and Messiah Bright all appearing in the starting lineup.

Next Match: The Pride will host their final game of the 2023 regular season on Sunday, Oct. 15, welcoming the Houston Dash to Exploria Stadium in a 5 p.m. ET kickoff.