Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines
On the result
“No better [birthday] gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans, so credit to the players for putting that performance together. It’s always nice to take the lead early, but there was disappointment with how quickly we conceded after scoring. I thought the first half was fairly even, and I knew we could go to another level. We didn’t quite show that immediately after conceding, but I thought we managed the second half well, possessed the ball better, earned the rewards for it and created some good opportunities. Overall, I’m really pleased to head into the break with three points.”
On Cori Dyke’s impact
“She’s been phenomenal all season long. She’s moved across the back line, starting in a left-sided role early on before shifting to center back and now finishing at right back. Her attitude and professionalism have stood out—it’s never ‘why am I playing there?’ She embraces every role, and we’re really pleased for her. I said to her during the game, great goal, but I was even more impressed by her defensive effort to stop [Rachel] Kundananji. That was a pivotal moment, and it could have been a very different outcome without her willingness to get back and make that block. I’m incredibly proud of her. She fully deserves this break, and hopefully she can kick on to another level in the second half of the season.”
On importance of the win
“I don’t think it matters how we win—we just want to be on the right side of the result. It feels great to end this stretch on a high. It’s been a bit of an up-and-down season as we’ve worked to find consistency, so to secure back-to-back victories for the first time this year is a really positive step. You can see the impact of getting players back from injury, and we want to continue turning this stadium into a fortress. I thought our second-half performance showed real dominance. We put the opponent under pressure, created chances and controlled possession more effectively, and you could see them wear down as the match went on. Even going down to 10 players late, the grit, determination and resilience were clear. There were no excuses. We stayed organized, committed to keeping the ball out of our net and saw out the win. That’s one of the most pleasing aspects of the performance.”
Orlando Pride Defender Cori Dyke
On the result
“Just really pleased with the win. I thought the team fought hard and brought great intensity tonight. Obviously, we’re disappointed to concede in the first half, but I thought our response was excellent, and it’s a great way to head into the break.”
On scoring almost a year to the date of her last goal
“It's kind of crazy. I don't know, it's super exciting. I mean, obviously Barbra [Banda] played me a great pass. I saw her get the ball in the box and was just trying to join as fast as I could. Yes, she gave me a great ball and I just tried to get it on frame and hit it hard and good things happened, and it's just super fun to score tonight, but more importantly, to do that for the team.”
On playing different roles
“I think we are confident with anybody in those positions. We know in any given night anyone can step up as we move things around, and yes, tonight, I think regardless of where I am, I just try to do my role for the team whatever that looks like, whether that's central or wide, and so in both situations, I just try to focus on doing my job.”
Orlando Pride Midfielder Luana
On the result
“I think it was a great result and a great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I thought we were consistent throughout. We took the chances we created, which is very important for us. In the end, we were able to secure all three points. I’m very happy with the result and with the opportunity to be on the field today.”
On getting the start
“It’s been seven or eight months of hard work to be able to compete and play in this league again. It’s challenging and demands a lot, and I’m grateful to the staff and my teammates who have been by my side, patient with me and giving me the confidence to be myself on the field and contribute to the team.”
On the team's approach
“I think it’s something we focus on when we play at home, that we need to start strong and not give the opponent too much time to settle when they come onto our field. I thought we did a great job early on, which led to the first goal. It’s something we’ve worked on in training, and we were prepared to execute.”
