LAKE MARY, Fla. — The Orlando Pride are back on the road this weekend on the heels of a dramatic win over Chicago Stars FC.
While the Pride recorded a 1-0 victory on Friday, the scoreline should have been a bit more lopsided. Orlando had almost 20 shots in the first half alone at Inter.co Stadium. Shots were clanged off the crossbar, fizzed across the face of goal, and and there was even a rare Marta penalty that was saved. The Pride dominated the match before Julie Doyle's late goal sealed the three points for the Pride.
Now, the challenge becomes taking that momentum and the chances created into one of the most challenging venues for Orlando.
This week, Orlando heads to WakeMed Soccer Park to face the North Carolina Courage, a place that has historically tested the Pride in ways few opponents manage.
"North Carolina is always a tough place to go and play," Head Coach Seb Hines said at Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Lake Park. "They will be wanting to bounce back from a disappointing result against Utah. It'll be a challenge. Every game is a challenge in this league, and you can't take anyone for granted, so we just need to really focus on ourselves, put in that performance that we know we are capable of doing, and get the three points."
The Pride have rarely found it comfortable in Cary. Through the years, Orlando has only managed two wins at WakeMed Soccer Park in NWSL play. The Courage currently sit ninth in the NWSL with a 6-3-6 record and 21 points. Ashley Sanchez leads the team with nine goals and has been one of the most consistent attackers in the league this season, sitting third in the Golden Boot race behind Orlando's own Barbra Banda.
"They've always had a DNA of really having a focus on possessing the ball, and they always put you in difficult positions," Hines said. "It's a hostile environment. The fans are really close. It's a tight pitch. Even with new personnel and coaches, they have a set way and identity of how they want to play. So it's always hard and challenging when we go there."
Last year, the Pride played well in Cary and came away with a draw thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer. That performance is one that Hines hopes can help give confidence to the team heading into Friday.
"Last year we had a really good performance. We were really aggressive in our press, really good in possession, but didn't manage to get the goal," he said. "That gives us a platform to really think we're capable of doing something at their place."
Midfielder Haley McCutcheon pointed to the same mentality heading into the week, hoping to capitalize on the offensive chance creation and turning them into goals.
"I think we can either look at our chances and not converting them as a frustration point, or we can look at it as confidence that we're creating these chances," she said. "We've taken it into this week as: okay, we're creating, and now we just need that final piece. Especially without Barbra here, it gives other players an opportunity to step up and be the finisher."
Without Barbra Banda, who is away on international duty with Zambia, the scoring weight now falls to others for the team. McCutcheon, who is tied for second-most goals on the team, has embraced her expanded role within the offense this season. She relishes being able to press from higher up the pitch and disrupt the opponent's build-up, hopefully leading to more scoring chances for her side.
"Without Barbara here, we're looking for a little bit more pressing personnel, and I think that's one of my strengths," she said. "I think it keeps teams on their toes as well, just having different player profiles in different spots. But my role is just whatever the team needs and trying to complement the players around me."
As the focus shifts to yet another road match, the Pride will look to pick up their away form, something that Hines has spoken with the team about as of late.
"Away from home, you're not always going to get as many chances as you do at home," he said. "When the opponent allows you that opportunity, it's about taking it. We've spoken a lot about that extra one or two percent. Can you get across a player? Can you get that touch inside the box? It might just take that one moment. And we always feel like defensively, if we take the lead, it's in our DNA to hold on for dear life when teams are pushing. It's all about attitude and what characters are going to step up in that moment. But we know in the past three or four years, when we take that one-nil lead, it's very difficult for another team to get a foothold in the game, and so it'll be no different on Friday."
Kickoff at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, is set for Friday night at 8 p.m. on Prime Video.
