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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls to Orlando Pride at Home

June 30, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) fell 0-3 tonight against the Orlando Pride following a brace by midfielder Adriana and one goal by forward Barbra Banda in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium.

Angel City had a near miss in the seventh minute starting with a long diagonal ball from midfielder Madison Hammond to the feet of forward Alyssa Thompson. Thompson sprinted into the box past Orlando's back line and sent a sharply angled shot towards the far post, but it went just wide.

The Pride had their first real chance in the 12th minute when midfielder Marta dribbled across Angel City's back line at the top of the box and slipped a through ball in for forward Barbra Banda, who sent a one-touch shot straight to goalkeeper DiDi Haračić.

Banda had another chance five minutes later, when midfielder Summer Yates sent a pass to her feet at the top of the box; the Zambia international quickly turned her mark and fired off a shot, which hit the outside netting.

The visitors broke through in the 20th minute when Marta won the ball in the midfield, cut inside, and sent a lateral pass to midfielder Adriana. Adriana dribbled to the top of the box and sent her shot to the upper 90 and into the back of the net.

Orlando doubled their lead in the 26th minute. Banda fired off a low shot that deflected slightly off defender Sarah Gorden's leg. The ball fell to the far post, where Adriana was making a run and tapped it into the net.

In the 35th minute, Yates took a hard shot from outside the penalty arc, which hit the crossbar; midfielder Julie Doyle got her head on the rebounded ball, but sent it high.

Thompson had another chance in stoppage time when she beat Yates inside the 18 and put an angled right-footed shot on frame, but keeper Anna Moorhouse made the save.

Early in the second half- the 53rd and 56th minutes- midfielder Kennedy Fuller had a couple of looks from distance, but Moorhouse stopped both.

Angel City continued to push going forward as the half went on, with Thompson putting another shot on target off a low cross by midfielder Rocky Rodríguez, with Moorhouse saving again.

ACFC's best look of the game came in the 63rd minute when defender Merritt Mathias sent a long ball from deep on the right wing into the box for forward Sydney Leroux. She was one-on-one with Moorhouse and took a low angled shot to the far post, but it hit the post.

The hosts had another near miss in the 89th minute, with defender Megan Reid putting a looping header from the top of the six-yard box on target off a corner kick, but Moorhouse jumped to tip it over the bar.

Pride truly finished the match in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Banda won the ball near the top of the 18, quickly got one-on-one with Haračić, and cut past her to put away her shot.

This match saw Rodríguez, who began her NWSL career in 2016, pass the 10,000-minutes-played mark.

Angel City is at home again next week on Saturday, July 6, at 7:00 p.m. against NJ/NY Gotham FC. The game will stream on ION.

ACFC Milestones

Sydney Leroux is the 29th NWSL player to reach the milestone of 150 regular-season games.

Rocky Rodriguez is the 51st NWSL player to play 10,000 minutes.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Defender Merritt Mathias

"From a defensive standpoint, we were executing the game plan quite well. We were winning the ball higher up the field. We have to be better at taking the opportunities that we're given. We have to sharpen up and when we create solid opportunities, we have to put them away."

"I started in the league in 2013, and there wasn't a Pride Night until a few years ago. To see the shift and see how much investment Angel City puts into this, it's quite special. I think if you played in this league, you know who sits in those seats, who is in our fanbase. It's a lot of the LGBTQ community and for them to be seen, loved, and celebrated and to feel safe in a place that we love to be in. I'm proud to represent Angel City and wear the rainbow numbers on my back."

"Games like this, it becomes really evident that you have to pick up points and win games. You have to set yourself up going forward with momentum. We have to show up in our best form. That is what we're signed up for as professional athletes. I think we have to buckle up and get ready for the ride that's to come."

ACFC Midfielder Rocky Rodriguez:

"It's frustrating to lose at home. We knew Orlando's counterattack was going to be lethal. So far we've created chances in the first half, maybe not so many quality chances. It feels like a game that we could've gone out with more."

"We knew Orlando's counterattack was lethal so our approach was different from what other teams had been doing, which was to wait for them. We decided that we would go out and press them to not even allow them to play or play those long balls. I think when we were able to counter press high on the field, we were successful. It's not easy but I think our team did well with what we had."

"Some games we've been able to score, and other games like today, we're almost there but it's that last pass or decision making. Should've, could've, would've. We need to be able to see within ourselves and get better."

ACFC Head Coach Becki Tweed

"I'm always disappointed to lose games. You can never explain or have a different feeling when you don't win no matter how you played.

"A message to the group was that I was proud of how hard we pushed in the second half. We kept ourselves in the game. It would have been easy at halftime to walk in and feel deflated, and we didn't. We still felt like we had a chance. We showed that we can create chances."

"The hardest part is when you look across the stats, they're very even across every single stat. Ruthlessness wins games, and I'm sitting here saying the same thing again."

"They're ruthless in transition, and they are where they are for a reason. I thought we handled [Barbra] Banda brilliantly. I don't think she had anything, but then comes Adriana and Marta. Marta found spaces and then found [Adriana] in that space."

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