The victories keep on coming for the Orlando Pride as they notched their sixth in a row on Saturday night, prevailing 1-0 at home over Bay FC to set a club record for most consecutive wins.
A penalty kick in the 32nd minute was the difference for NWSL-leading Orlando (6-0-3, 21 points).
“They’re a great team. They have a lot of weapons up front. So we knew we were going to have to be locked in the whole time,” said Pride defender Kylie Strom. “All it takes is one chance to switch off and they can punish us. So we just knew we needed to put pressure on them and just control the game in and out of possession, and I think we did an overall pretty good job of that.”
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The Pride’s goal came thanks to the efforts of forward Barbra Banda. She made an excellent move into the box before being brought down. Adriana stepped up to take the penalty and scored her first goal of the season for the winner.
“I’m really happy. It’s always great to come back and get minutes with the team and also be able to play well and help our team win victories,” Adriana said. “So I’m not only happy with the goal but most importantly with our win today.”
Orlando dominated the game offensively, with 10 shots on target to Bay FC’s two. However, Bay goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland came up big with nine saves, keeping the Pride from building on their lead.
While the Pride could not extend their advantage, Bay FC (2-7-0, 6 points) never really threatened to score either. Their defense was more than up to the task and earned its fourth clean sheet.
“We take so much pride in our defending and when we get these clean sheets, it’s not just the backline and the goalkeeper. It’s every single player,” Strom added. “Our forwards work so hard, our midfielders work so hard to put some pressure on, make it predictable, and make it easy for us to read the play and step in. So it’s a team effort and it feels good.”
Orlando’s next match is a trip to take on Seattle Reign FC on May 19.
