Orlando Pride stroll to win over Boston Breakers
Orlando Pride (10-6-5, 35 points) continued their fine form on Saturday night as they beat Boston Breakers (3-11-7 16 points) 4-2 in a rain-drenched match at Orlando City Stadium. The victory pretty much consolidated a place in the play offs as they are now six points clear with just three games to go. It was the Pride’s fifth straight win and the team is coming into form at exactly the right time as the season comes to a close.
“I thought the first 30 minutes we were superb. I thought that’s probably the best 30 minutes that we’ve had this season. We were slick, movement was great, we were creating chances. We really dominated the game,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “But we need to be probably a little bit better when we’re not going through those spells and we’re playing really well. I think we were playing really well. We played some fantastic football.”
The Pride entered the halftime break with a two-goal lead thanks to a first-half brace from rookie Rachel Hill (pictured above – 15). Hill got on the board after eight minutes, capitalizing on a rebound from an Alex Morgan shot on goal. Chioma Ubogagu played a hard cross in that Morgan flicked toward the net, but was denied by Breakers goalkeeper Abby Smith. Hill, however, seized on the rebound for her second goal of the season.
The UConn then product doubled the lead in the 15th minute, getting on the end of a pinpoint Alex Morgan cross and sending the ball under a desperate Abby Smith in the Breakers goal.
Half Time: Orlando Pride 2 Boston Breakers 0
Four minutes after the break, the Breakers grabbed a goal back after a neat five person move that ended when Amanda Frisbie found midfielder Rosie White who converted from close range to make it 2-1.
The one-goal deficit didn’t last long as Brazilian forward Marta (pictured above) finished off some crisp combination play from Morgan and Ubogagu in the 67th minute. Morgan found time and space to find Ubogagu on the left side and the enterprising forward played a quick pass to Marta that opened up the Boston back line. Marta strode forward and slotted the ball past Smith’s right hand side and into the net with her left foot. It was Marta’s first goal since August 12, when she helped lead the Pride to a 5-0 win over Sky Blue FC.
Ubogagu (pictured above) then capped the Pride’s night off with the team’s fourth goal, and her fourth of the season, as she intercepted a sloppy pass by Breakers defender Allysha Chapman. The English born forward charged forward from approximately 35 yards, skipped past one challenge and slotted home with precision off the inside of the far post.
The Breakers then grabbed a consolation goal as Julie King headed home Adriana Leon’s corner kick in the 88th minute.
With Marta’s goal and Morgan’s assist, the duo has played a role in 12 of the Pride’s last 15 goals. With four goals on the night, Orlando also increased its season scoring total to a league-leading 41, more than double the team’s 20 goals during its inaugural 2016 campaign.
The Pride play their final two home matches of the regular season in their next two games, first welcoming Seattle Reign FC at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 9. Orlando closes out the home schedule on Sept. 23, hosting Portland Thorns FC at 3:30 p.m. ET in the NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime.
Lineups:
Orlando Pride: Ashlyn Harris ©; Camila, Monica, Ali Krieger, Steph Catley; Dani Weatherholt (Nickolette Driesse 86’), Alanna Kennedy; Rachel Hill, Marta (Jamia Fields 82’), Chioma Ubogagu (Danica Evans 84’); Alex Morgan
Substitutes Not Used: Aubrey Bledsoe; Toni Pressley; Jo Blankenship
Boston Breakers: Abby Smith; Margaret Purce, Megan Oyster, Julie King ©, Allysha Chapman, Brooke Elby (Rose Lavelle 72’), Amanda Frisbie (Ifeoma Onumonu 55’); Angela Salem, Rosie White; Adriana Leon, Katie Stengel (Natasha Dowie 55’)
Substitutes Not Used: Sammi Jo Prudhomme; Tiffany Weimer; Hayley Dowd
Attendance: 5,413
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