Match Forecast: OL Reign Takes on Orlando Pride for First Time this Season

OL Reign is on the road this evening against the Orlando Pride. This is the first meeting between the two teams since OL Reign’s 3-0 victory last October that clinched the NWSL Shield.

WHEN AND WHERE: OL Reign kicks off at 4:00 p.m. PT at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida

WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can tune in on FOX13+, Paramount+ in the U.S. and at NWSLsoccer.com abroad or locally at Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard.

2023 NWSL RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 7-4-3 (24 points, 3rd place), Orlando Pride: 5-8-1 (16 points, 9th place)

Key Points Ahead of the Match:

1. LAST MEETING – OL Reign and the Orlando Pride last met on October 1, 2022, at Lumen Field. The Reign dominated the Pride, earning a 3-0 in front of a record-breaking crowd in Seattle. The goals were scored in the first half by forwards Megan Rapinoe, Jordyn Huitema and Bethany Balcer, but the Reign controlled the match for all 90 minutes. The solid win saw OL Reign lift the NWSL Shield for the first time since 2015, despite entering the match with a slim chance of finishing first place in the league.

2. SCOUTING ORLANDO – Most recently, Orlando took on the Washington Spirit at Audi Field and came away with a 3-0 win. Orlando Forward Julie Doyle started the scoring in the 8th minute of the match before doubling the score in the 16th minute, recording her first-ever professional brace. The Pride added one more goal before the match was out, when forward Ally Watt forced an own goal from Washington. The win marked the Pride’s second win over Washington in the 2023 season.

“I said to the group, this week, I think this is the best Orlando team I've seen, with their full squad, I think it's the best team that they've had. They have threats in multiple areas on the field. They have pace higher up the field. They're willing to move the ball around at pace and they press and they make it really difficult for the opponent, so I think we have to be prepared for that. You're right, it's exactly the same as last year, really, where we're on a decent little run of form results wise and they've probably put in arguably their best performance of the season last week against Washington. So, we come in knowing that and we come in knowing that the game is going to be tough,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey.

“I think the big thing for us is to make sure that we don't give them anything. I think back to last year and we sort of gave them their goal a little bit and then we were on the back foot and we had to sort of fight our way back into it again, I think that's something we want to avoid because when we're chasing the game, the work rate and the effort has to be even higher than what it is when you're winning. So yeah, always a difficult environment to play in, but I do think that this team that they have right now is a real threat."

Midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt added, "I think we need to be really good at preventing transition and just kind of stopping their threats higher up so that it doesn't come to that point where they can use their threats against us, so I think in the midfield, a big thing will be preventing transition and of course, winning first and second balls just to counteract that."

3.  MOMENTUM BEFORE THE BREAK – This is OL Reign are coming off a three-game week where they went undefeated, earning two wins and a draw. For the team, it’s important to maintain the momentum in this final match before the break.

"I think it will be important for us to just go into the break on a positive note and just keeping up this momentum that we've had. We had a big week last week and now that we are without our national team players, I think it will be really important for us to make our mark going into the rest of these next couple months that we'll have without them. I think, yeah, it'll just be big for us to, like you said, gain that momentum going into the break just so we can kind of take a deep breath, relax, get our days off and then come back ready to just go again. It'll be nice to get some time off, just with the schedule that we've had, but I think it'll also help us just stay motivated just going into the games after the break," said Van der Jagt.

MultiCare Availability Report:

OUT

Tziarra King (leg)

QUESTIONABLE

None

INTERNATIONAL

Angelina (BRA)

Jordyn Huitema (CAN)

Quinn (CAN)

Alana Cook (USA)

Sofia Huerta (USA)

Rose Lavelle (USA)

Megan Rapinoe (USA)

Emily Sonnett (USA)