Pride stumble in road defeat
Coach Sermanni pleased Orlando didn’t give up during painful 5-2 loss
Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni entered the locker room with a clear message.
The Pride had just suffered arguably their worst loss of their expansion season, falling 5-2 on the road late Saturday night against a talented Seattle Reign FC lineup that was firing on all cylinders.
Sermanni told his players he was proud of their effort, with a late goal helping prove they never gave up on the game or each other.
“The reality in football is you get games like that,” Sermanni said. “The sport is like that at times. The sport doesn’t go well for you. It’s part of being an athlete, part of being a coach.
“I told them, you’ve got to put this behind you, and we’ve got to focus on the next game.”
Sermanni was wary of the potent Reign lineup that featured five international players who weren’t called up for the Rio Olympics. The group had hit early-season bumps and owned a record that masked their firepower. He was right. The Pride (6-8-0, 18 points) could do little right against Reign (5-4-5, 20 points), adding to the challenges Orlando will face making the National Women’s Soccer League four-team playoff field. Seattle jumped ahead of Orlando in the NSWL standings, taking seventh place.
“It was one of those games
where we were out-classed by a superior team on the night,” Sermanni said.
“The effort of the players was outstanding,” he said. “They worked and worked and they toiled . ... They spent most of the night really chasing the ball.”
Orlando has six games remaining, including a matchup July 31 against the last-place Boston Breakers. The Pride currently need a five-point advantage to claim fourth place and NWSL playoff spot.
The postseason seemed far out of reach during a match the Reign dominated from start to finish.
Seattle jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a Kim Little score off a penalty kick in the 21st minute following a foul in the box.
The goal seemed to fire up the Reign, who were relentless in their attack as the Pride struggled to clear the ball.
Jess Fishlock put away a loose ball in the 30th minute to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.
Manon Melis scored in the 47th minute and put the
“The effort of the players was outstanding. They worked and worked and they toiled . ... They spent most of the night really chasing the ball.” Pride coach Tom Sermanni
game out of reach.
The Pride, however, kept pushing to score.
Jamia Fields booted a kick upfield to Jasmyne Spencer, who was running across the top of the box. Spencer jumped and flicked the ball home to make the score 3-1 in the 52nd minute.
Orlando struggled to keep the momentum going and Kendall Fletcher headed the ball past Pride goalkeeper Kaitlyn Savage off a corner kick to make the score 4-1 in the 57th minute.
The final blow for the Pride defense came in the 87th minute when the ball bounced off Toni Pressley for an own goal.
Orlando sub Sarah “Apple” Hagen found Kristen Edmonds racing up field in the 89th minute and she put the ball into the far bottom corner of the net, but the frustrated players didn’t celebrate the goal.
Sermanni and his staff always knew the stretch right before the Olympics, during which six starters were called up for their national teams, would be a big challenge.
If Orlando can beat lastplace Boston on the road next week, the Pride will have gone 2-2 during the stretch before the NWSL Olympic break.
Sermanni said the late goal was an especially promising sign and offered insight into his team’s toughness, calling it something he can build on in the week ahead.
“They never stop pushing,” he said. “They don’t give up.”