It has been a rough stretch for the Orlando Pride, going winless in the last nine NWSL matches.
Now the Pride (8-8-5, 29 points) kick off a three-game trip with a tough matchup against the San Diego Wave (8-6-7, 31 points) on Friday at 10:30 p.m.
“We’ve got a tough stretch of games, three games on the road. We’re excited for the opportunity to go to San Diego and the potential to get three points,” Orlando coach Seb Hines said. “It’s an opportunity for us to bounce back. The spirits are still high. We’re still really optimistic that we can finish in a positive position within the league table.”
Orlando has an excellent all-time record of 4-1-2 against the Wave. The Pride are 2-0-1 in San Diego as well, giving them a boost in confidence that a victory on the road is possible. San Diego is also winless in its last five games, making this an important matchup for both sides.
The Pride have struggled to replace Barbra Banda since her season-ending injury, and in the last five league games, they have only scored three goals. Jacqueline Ovalle is expected to help produce, but she is still acclimating to a new league. She played a full 90 minutes in each of the last two league matches, and this game against the Wave is a perfect opportunity for her to have a breakout performance.
Defense has also been an issue for the Pride in recent weeks. Orlando has not kept a clean sheet in five league matches, and Hines has played both Anna Moorhouse and McKinley Crone in goal to try to mix things up.
The good news for Orlando is that San Diego has only scored once in the last five matches. Adriana Leon leads the team with five goals and four assists on the year, but her last goal contribution came six games ago. Orlando has the quality to keep San Diego scoreless, and a clean sheet would go a long way toward helping rebuild the team’s confidence.
