Pride’s Bledsoe thrives in starting keeper role
The Orlando Pride’s victory over the Boston Breakers three weeks ago was a big moment for the club. It was the team’s first shutout of the season and kicked off Orlando’s current win streak.
But for goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe, that night was more than just special. It was unforgettable. For the first time in three years, Bledsoe’s parents and sister got to come to a game and watch her play.
“That was an incredible moment, something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Bledsoe said. “They’ve been waiting just as long as I have, so it’s cool they got to see me play.”
After missing out on various playing opportunities due to injuries, Bledsoe has finally gotten her first extended stint as a starting goalkeeper in the National Women’s Soccer League and she has not disappointed.
Through three games, she has helped the team to a 2-1-0 record and has recorded 12 saves, including last week’s NWSL Save of the Week against Houston. She’ll face the Dash again today at Orlando City Stadium.
“I was proud that I could come up with that big save when the team needed it,” Bledsoe said. “Just the momentum of the game from that, you know, Marta goes down and scores, so that kind of killed their spirits . ... It’s always great to be able to step up when the team needs you.”
Losing a starting goalkeeper for an extended period of time would be a major issue for most teams, but going without Ashlyn Harris for up to two months due to a quad injury didn’t trouble the Pride’s coaching staff. They knew Bledsoe was more than capable of filling her role.
“We’re really comfortable and confident if something happened to Ash that we have another first choice goalkeeper in goal,” Pride coach Tom Sermanni said. “I think Aubrey, after the disappointments last year with injuries and missing out, you know, she’s ... come up huge in the two games and basically been flawless.”
Playing opportunities can be rare for backup goalkeepers, especially with someone of Harris’ caliber on the roster, but Bledsoe believes that she is a starting-level goalkeeper and has enjoyed proving that to the rest of the league.
“I’ve just been waiting for my opportunity and it’s been a long, long wait,” Bledsoe said. “But I’m more than prepared through that because I’ve kind of learned from Ashlyn for two years now. I think I’m ready to shine.”
While the rest of the league has now seen how talented Bledsoe is, her teammates have not been surprised by her success after watching the effort she put in during training.
“Aubs is awesome. I mean, we’re extremely confident with her back there,” Pride midfielder Kristen Edmonds said. “She’s a great goalkeeper and she’s been ready this whole last season. … Her quality is right up there, and we don’t have any doubts with her behind us in the net.”
With Harris progressing faster than expected, it’s unclear how much longer Bledsoe will be starting for the Pride. But she is determined to make the most of her time on the field and continue to improve.
“It’s just, I guess you can say, unfortunate that I’m the backup to probably the world’s best keeper, so minutes are hard to come by,” Bledsoe said. “I know I have the ability and it’s just a matter of getting the opportunity to show that. So, I’m confident that I can continue to perform well and keep building and go from there.”