• Final stats

ORLANDO, Fla. – Coming off the high of beating Portland Thorns FC for the first time ever, the Orlando Pride were hoping to earn another monumental win in 2018 by beating the undefeated North Carolina Courage.

North Carolina, however, remained undefeated after 90 minutes of play in Orlando City Stadium Wednesday night, as the Courage (8-0-2, 26 points) defeated the Pride (3-3-3, 12 points) 4-3 in front of 3,104 fans.

“You know, it’s a bit frustrating, a bit disappointing because of coming off such a great win in Portland,” defender Ali Krieger said after the Pride’s first loss in six games. “And we were very focused for this game and very prepared. We were very motivated, so having that first-half performance was a bit disappointing.

“We all knew that it was probably our worst of the year.”

With the game tied at 3-3, the Courage took advantage of a Pride turnover in midfield. Left back Jaelene Hinkle sent a deep ball to forward Jessica McDonald in Orlando’s box, and McDonald managed to get her head on the ball between two Pride defenders and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris.

McDonald’s shot took a high-arching trajectory toward goal, as center back Shelina Zadorsky tried to head the ball away. Instead, it was was tipped backward for North Carolina’s fourth and final goal. (Though Zadorsky touched it last, McDonald was credited with the goal.)

The Pride conceded another apparent own goal in the 62nd minute. North Carolina took a two-goal advantage when midfielder Samantha Mewis’ headed effort bounced off the right post and, subsequently, off Harris for a 3-1 lead. (The goal was initially ruled an own goal on Harris but was credited to Mewis after the match.)

“I think those [last two goals] were kind of flukes, if you’d like,” Pride boss Tom Sermanni said after the loss. “… But you can’t just look at games and goals. I think what we want to try and do is assess the overall performance of the team. And, as I say, there were some things tonight that I thought we did really well to come back into the game.

“If we had gone on with it, I think we had enough quality to win the game. But then we had some absolutely dreadful passages of play that cost us the game.”

The Pride responded quickly to the two-goal deficit by scoring three minutes after Mewis’ goal. Midfielder Christine Nairn delivered a corner from the left and found midfielder Alanna Kennedy for her first goal of 2018.

Then, second-half sub Rachel Hill equalized, as she scored the Pride’s final goal in the 83rd minute. As Hill sprinted down the middle-right flank and into the box, forward Marta Vieira da Silva curled in an untouchable cross that evaded two defenders and a goalkeeper, that only Hill could reach at the far post.

Hill took a one-time shot and smashed the ball into the back of the net as Courage keeper Katelyn Rowland could do nothing but watch.

“Exactly what we’re looking for and what she’s done every game this season, whether she’s started or come off the bench,” Sermanni said of Hill. “She’s got energy; she has enthusiasm; she scores; she, as you say, gets up and down the field. And she’s a real nuisance for defenders.”

North Carolina opened the match’s scoring in the 31st minute, courtesy of McDonald. The 30-year-old American, who leads the Courage in assists, capitalized on an errant clearance by Pride right back Kristen Edmonds.

Midfielder McCall Zerboni played a short cross from the top of the box. Edmonds tried to clear the ball, but it bounced off the side of midfielder Denise O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, then, tapped the 50-50 ball to an open McDonald directly at the top of the 6-yard box for an easy tap-in past a diving Harris.

Orlando responded early in the second half, though. Forward Chioma Ubogagu scored her fourth goal of the season, as Marta recorded her first assist of the game, her first of the season.

The Courage left Marta alone in the left corner, as she slowly encroached on the left part of North Carolina’s box. As she was nearing the box, she pointed to the near post, and Ubogagu sprinted there. Marta’s grounded pass escaped the grasp of Rowland, as Ubogagu tapped it in to make it a 1-1 game in the 52nd minute.

But just five minutes later, another costly defensive error by the Pride allowed North Carolina to take the lead, again.

A ball toward the top of the Pride’s box was initially stopped by Zadorsky. Kennedy quickly pounced on it, but her attempt to recover a heavy touch made her fall to the ground. Lying on her right hip, she tried to pass it back to a teammate, but no one was ready for the back pass.

Courage forward Débora Cristiane de Oliveira, then, sprinted forward between three Pride defenders and scored past a dropping Harris for a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute.

“We’ve had a fairly settled back four for a few games, now, that looked really solid,” Sermanni said. “Now, admittedly, the two strikers we come up against were quite formidable tonight. But, again, we talk about calmness and composure and moving things and doing things early and quickly, and we didn’t do that quite well enough.”

Who’s Next?

The Pride will embark on a two-game road trip, starting with the Chicago Red Stars (2-2-6, 12 points) on Saturday. Orlando won the two teams’ last meeting 2-0 in Chicago.

For more on the Pride, as they look to earn their second-ever win over Chicago, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.