1. It was a gritty, gutsy performance for the Orlando Pride for a noon kickoff in the nation's capitol, but the Florida team was able to see out a massive win on the road, thanks to a Bello Banger and some Marta Magic.
2. A 12:30 p.m. ET kickoff for the match meant a slower start, with neither team creating any big scoring chances in the first 30 minutes of the match. But that very quickly changed as the clock tipped over the half-hour mark.
3. At first, things started poorly for the Pride in the 35th minute. Carson Picket conceded a needless foul, which led to a free kick for Washington in their own attacking third. The ensuing ball into the box was deflected by Kerry Abello towards her own goal and ended up beating Anna Moorhouse to get the Spirit on the board.
4. But that deficit was short-lived for the Pride. Three minutes later, off a free kick by Jacquie Ovalle, the ball flew into the center of the box and found Haley McCutcheon, who headed it back to Kerry Abello at the top of the box. She took a touch and struck the ball cleanly, whizzing past Kingsbury to tie up the match.
5. Even that moment was short-lived for Orlando, as just four minutes later, a cross into the box by Paige Metayer, Sofia Cantore got positioning in the box and backheeled the ball near post to beat Anna Moorhouse. It was a moment for Orlando that was disappointing to concede, considering the Pride had just gotten the equalizer. It was a goal that sent them into halftime down a goal and gave them something to work on during the break.
6. Once again, though, the disappointment didn't last too long. Marta, who came in as a halftime sub, immediately changed the game for the Pride. After a quick move to get space in the box, the Brazilian fired a right-footed shot that deflected off Naomi Miura and in, tying the match just 45 seconds into the second half.
7. The match stayed level until the 70th minute, when a ball over the top of the defense was charged onto by Ally Watt, who got into the box and beat Kysha Silla to the spot. Silla grabbed Watt with her arm and pulled her down, giving a penalty to the Pride. Naturally, Marta stepped up to take it, and after a quick stutter step, she buried the ball in the right corner, sending Kingsbury the wrong way and giving Orlando the lead. With the goal, Marta became the oldest player in NWSL history to score a penalty in a match at 39 years, seven months old.
8. Over the next 15 minutes (and 11 minutes of stoppage time) the Pride saw out the game defensively, and despite some close calls, the team managed to secure all three points to keep the team in third place in the NWSL standings.
9. The Pride will now have a week off for the international break before they head into their final match of the regular season, hosting the Seattle Reign on Nov. 2 at Inter&Co Stadium.
