Marta scores during the Orlando Pride’s 1-1 draw at FC Kansas City. Still, the team remains the only one in the NWSL to not have won a game.
Despite leading with less than 10 minutes to go, the Orlando Pride failed to earn a win on Sunday, tying FC Kansas City 1-1 at Swope Soccer Village.
The Pride are the only team in NWSL that has not won a game.
“We need to get into better habits of coming away with a game like this,” Pride coach Tom Sermanni said. “We really should be on six points at the moment and we’re on two points.”
The game started off with an injury scare for the Pride when defender Monica went down after twisting her knee. She was forced to leave the game and was replaced by midfielder Dani Weatherholt. She will be evaluated when the team returns to Orlando.
Early on, the Pride were effective defensively, putting a lot of pressure on the ball and limiting chances. But both teams had trouble establishing a rhythm on offense, trading possessions frequently.
In the 15th minute, forward Marta easily navigated through a group of defenders and sent in a cross but no one was there to finish it.
Another chance came several minutes later, when Marta once again crossed the ball in, but
“I think what we showed tonight, particularly in the second half, is that, you know, we’ve got a quality team.” Pride coach Tom Sermanni
goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart snatched it up just before forward Danica Evans got to it.
Evans, a rookie making her first start, used flip throws on several throwins to send the ball in close to the goal.
On one try, defender Toni Pressley managed to get off a shot, but is was easily handled by Barnhart.
Near the end of the half, Orlando had an easier time holding onto the ball, but it still couldn’t break through and score a goal, despite finishing the first half with 14 crosses. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0.
Early in the second half, Orlando was more successful controlling possession and generated several scoring opportunities. In the 54th minute, defender Ali Krieger put the ball just ahead of midfielder Kristen Edmonds with no one in front of her, but Barnhart came off her line to get to it first.
Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris came up big for the Pride in the 67th minute, when she had to leap to swat away an arching, long range shot from midfielder Lo’eau Labonta. Harris then immediately recovered to save forward Sydney Leroux’s shot off the rebound.
After numerous secondhalf chances, the Pride finally managed to score late in the game.
Forward Jasmyne Spencer tapped a pass from Edmonds to Marta, who fired a shot past Barnhart into the back of the net, giving Orlando a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute.
It was the Brazilian superstar’s first Orlando goal.
“We get Marta in those kinds of positions, she’s gonna finish,” Sermanni said. “She’s really settled into the team. She’s leading by both how she plays and the way she’s helping other players.”
The Pride’s lead, however, did not last long.
In the 84th minute, the Blues attempted a free kick just outside the box. The shot bounced off the post but Orlando couldn’t clear the ball before it was put away by midfielder Erika Tymrak, tying the match 1-1.
Neither team managed to score in the closing minutes and Orlando earned its second draw of the season.
“We just need to keep plugging away,” Sermanni said. “I think what we showed tonight, particularly in the second half, is that, you know, we’ve got a quality team. We play, you know, a really good brand of football.”
The Pride will look to snap their 12-game winless streak next Sunday when they return home to take on the North Carolina Courage at 5 p.m.