Pride’s Harris out for 8 weeks

Orlando starting goalkeeper suffers a quad injury, backup Bledsoe returns to lineup

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris will miss up to eight weeks of play due to a “quad injury near the hip,” a club spokeswoman told the Orlando Sentinel.

Harris went down in the 24th minute of the Pride’s 1-1 draw Sunday against the Seattle Reign. She was evaluated by the club’s medical team Tuesday morning and given a timeline for recovery.

Newly-signed goalkeeper Caroline Stanley, brought on because backup keeper Aubrey Bledsoe was out last week due to concussion protocol, replaced Harris in the Seattle match. Stanley will stay on with the team while Harris recovers and will travel with the Pride to New Jersey for a match against Sky Blue FC on Saturday, according to the club.

Bledsoe has been cleared to play, so Pride coach Tom Sermanni will decide who to start moving forward.

The injury is an unwelcome setback for Harris, who captains the Pride and is competing for a starting role with the United States women’s national team.

Hope Solo, 35, was the national team’s starting goalkeeper for more than a decade until U.S. Soccer terminated her contract and suspended her for six months following a series of behavioral issues capped by her calling Sweden “a bunch of cowards” after an Olympic quarterfinal loss last summer.

The controversial decision, coupled with Solo’s age, created an opportunity for Harris, 31, and Alyssa Naeher, 29, who patiently excelled behind the scenes.

JANE GERSHOVICH/ISI PHOTOS A leg injury sustained during Sunday’s match in Seattle comes at a time when Pride goalkeeper and captain Ashlyn Harris, right, is also competing for a starting role with the U.S. women’s national team.