ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second time in 2018, the Orlando Pride (5-3-4, 19 points) will travel to face the Washington Spirit (2-7-4, 10 points).

The last time both teams met, Washington got the better of the Pride with a 2-0 win on March 31. Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said Saturday’s road match will be just as difficult despite the stark differences in both teams’ progression since their first meeting.

So far, the Pride have worked to third place and are tied for the second-most wins (five) while the Spirit are in eighth place with the second-worst goal differential (-7).

But, if history has any say, the Pride will need to stay wary of their weekend opposition. Through six meetings, Washington has owned the all-time series with a 3-1-2 record. Orlando has been mostly on the front foot since, though, earning results in three of their last four meetings.

Here’s what to expect from Washington when the Pride travel to the Maryland SoccerPlex Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNews.

Former Pride Keeper Leads NWSL in Saves

Saturday’s match will be another reunion of sorts, as the Pride will come up against one of their former keepers: Aubrey Bledsoe.

Bledsoe was integral in the Pride staying afloat in 2017 when perennial starter Ashlyn Harris suffered a quad injury that kept her out of matches for about two months. In 2017, she stopped 35 of the 99 on-target efforts she faced.

So far in 2018, she leads the league in saves with 63, and the second-place holder isn’t even close. Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan has the second-most saves in the league, so far, with 38.

Bledsoe’s effectiveness between the posts has increased significantly since her starting gig with Orlando. She saved 35.4 percent of the opposition’s on-target shots in 2017 and has, so far, saved 61.8 percent of those efforts in 2018.

The 26-year-old was traded to the Spirit during this past offseason, as the Pride acquired center back Shelina Zadorsky.

“Yeah, I mean, it just shows that we were right when we brought her here, that she was a first-choice goalkeeper in this league. And I hope she has an off day on Saturday,” Sermanni said half-jokingly after training on June 21. “But it’s terrific to see her be so successful because, you know, she was fantastic for us every day at training and whenever she was called upon to play.”

Washington Among Most Vulnerable Teams in NWSL

Washington’s defense has, so far, proven to be one of the most vulnerable in the NWSL. If it wasn’t for Bledsoe and her league-leading saves total that nearly doubles the second-place total, Washington could be in a far worse position.

So far in 2018, the Spirit haven’t had a game where their opposition tallied single-digit shots. In total, Washington and Bledsoe have faced 199 shots and 102 on-target shots. Bledsoe has already recorded two seven-save performances and had a season-high 10 saves in the season-opening, 2-1 loss to Seattle Reign FC on March 25.

Even in the Spirit’s last two results–0-0 draws with Sky Blue and Seattle–Washington allowed a significant amount of chances. Against Sky Blue, Washington allowed 20 shots (seven on-goal); against Seattle, the Spirit allowed 17 (six on-goal).

“There are no easy games,” Sermanni said. “I watched Washington’s last game against Seattle, and they drew 0-0, and, the second half, had three or four fantastic chances. So whether you’re playing [the] North Carolina [Courage] at the top or Sky Blue at the bottom, every game is equally as difficult in this league.”

Like Sky Blue, Washington Entering Pride Match with Momentum

Sermanni said after his team’s 3-2 home win over Sky Blue on June 16 that he felt fortunate to win that match. The narrow decision over winless Sky Blue was decided by an 83rd-minute winner by second-half sub Rachel Hill.

Now, the Pride will enter the Washington match with their opponent under similar conditions as Sky Blue. Ahead of the Pride’s latest win, the New Jersey side earned its first result–a 0-0 draw with Washington, coincidentally enough–since April 21. The Spirit come into their home match with Orlando having drawn their last two matches.

Orlando midfielder Emily van Egmond said the message from Sermanni has been about not being complacent.

“Complacency. And I’m sure [Sermanni’s] mentioned that word a few times,” van Egmond said after training on June 21. “He’s 100 percent spot-on. Yeah, you can’t take any teams lightly in this league at all. It doesn’t matter if there’s a team with no points or a team with 100 points.

“You have to go into every single game with the same mentality as if you’re facing a team on top of the league, so that’s what we’ll look to do this week.”

For more on the Pride, as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to four games, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

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