The Washington Sprit fell to the undefeated Orlando Pride, 0-2, on a rainy evening at Inter&Co Stadium. With multiple players out for this match, the Spirit Starting XI looked different than what fans are used to. Changes included the first career regular season start for Heather Stainbrook, Esme Morgan shifted to right back, Paige Metayer served as a forward, and Ashley Hatch took to the midfield.
It was apparent in the first half that the matchup was going to be physical. The Spirit picked up 11 fouls compared the Pride’s three.
It was a highly contested match in the rain as the league’s top two clubs went at it with the Supporters Shield all but guaranteed for Orlando. The undefeated Pride had to wait until the 57th minute to strike gold. Barbara Banda was taken down in the box and was called a penalty. Marta stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty kick. The women’s football legend has converted eight straight regular season penalties dating back to 2018 and is now the all-time leading scorer in the Spirit-Pride series (10).
The Pride doubled its lead in the 73rd minute when a shot from Adriana deflected off Tara McKeown and went into the Spirit’s net. It was ruled an own-goal.
By the end of the match, the Spirit had committed 22 fouls compared to Orlando’s six. The Pride outshot the Spirit 16-10 with both clubs sharing four shots on target.
The Spirit returns home to Audi Field to play Racing Louisville FC next Sunday, October 13 at 5 p.m. EDT and will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Night.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of Washington Spirit