Pride return from international break and begin two-game road trip
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Pride (7-5-7, 28 points) travels to the west coast to take on OL Reign (10-7-2, 32 points) this Sunday, Sept. 26 at Cheney Stadium. Kickoff for the match is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the contest exclusively available to stream exclusively on Twitch.
“It’s never easy when you’re making that [cross-country] trip but we expect there’s going to be great competition there and I think everyone is excited about playing against that [Reign] roster. It’s a very talented roster,” interim Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “They just have a lot of talent, especially in their front six. That’s a group that can do things that other things can’t and then you back that up with a solid defense, and they’re a pretty complete team. We have to all be committed to being on the same page in what we do defensively as a team.”
Sunday will serve as the second matchup between the two sides this season and the Pride’s first visit to Tacoma since 2019. In the last fixture between the two sides, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris tallied 10 saves and her fifth-consecutive penalty save of the calendar year on July 24.
Prior to the international break, the Pride defeated Racing Louisville 3-1 on Sept. 11 in downtown Orlando. The victory served as Orlando’s third-consecutive result, adding to the Club’s 1-1 draw against Houston on Sept. 5 and 1-0 victory over Gotham on Aug. 29. Sydney Leroux, Marta and Alex Morgan all found the back of the net for the Pride, in what was the most goals scored in a home match this season.
With Leroux’s latest strike, she climbed to eight goals on the season, tying her for most in the league with OL Reign’s Bethany Balcer. Teammates Marta and Taylor Kornieck continue to lead the Pride in assists, each with three on the year. The Pride also have four players with two assists apiece.
Between the international break and a forfeited match, OL Reign has not played a game since Sept. 4 when the club took on Racing Louisville FC. OL Reign went down early, but Balcer was able to score in the 74th minute, securing the 1-1 draw for the Reign.
Balcer currently leads OL Reign with eight goals on the season. Jess Fishlock has recorded four assists on the year, leading the side in the category.
Following Saturday’s match, the Pride will play it’s second-consecutive road match, traveling to take on the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, Oct. 2nd. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at SeatGeek Stadium.
