Angel City fell 0–1 at home to the Orlando Pride tonight, following a goal by Pride forward Adriana in the 22nd minute.
Angel City dominated the half starting with the early minutes of the game, spending much of their time on the front foot and making a handful of forays into the penalty area. The best was in the 18th minute when forward Claire Emslie sprinted onto a long ball up the wing and played it back for forward Clarisse Le Bihan. Forward Alyssa Thompson had a shot following Le Bihan’s ensuing ball into the box, but it was blocked by a Pride defender.
In the 22nd minute, Orlando scored what was to be the lone goal of the game against the run of play. Midfielder Marta took a crack from the edge of the 18 that midfielder Dani Weatherholt initially blocked. The ball then fell to forward Adriana, who slipped her shot past keeper Angelina Anderson—who was out of position after diving to stop the first shot—at the near post and into the net.
Anderson made a big save against Adriana to keep Angel City in the game in the 34th minute. The Brazil international took a shot from just outside the 18 that the keeper deflected out over the crossbar.
Defender Paige Nielsen had the best chance of the half for the home side in the 40th minute, sweeping a long-range free kick into the six-yard box by Le Bihan with her left foot, but her attempt went wide.
Orlando had a chance in the 51st minute that started with Adriana making a central run on transition and sending an angled through ball to midfielder Ally Watt. Watt was in on goal but sent her shot well high.
In the 65th minute, defender Jasmyne Spencer made an attempt from the right wing that keeper Anna Moorhouse nearly fumbled and dropped to the feet of midfielder Savannah McCaskill on the goal line, but ultimately trapped.
LA continued to dominate the game, which they would ultimately end with 66% possession and 20 shots to Orlando’s seven, and the team made a final push for goal over the last ten minutes. In the 85th minute, forward Jun Endo played a diagonal ball into the box for McCaskill at knee-level; the midfielder’s volleyed shot went over the bar. One minute later, a corner kick by Le Bihan bounced off a scrum of players and high into the air. Angel City forward Sydney Leroux got her head on the deflected ball and put it on target at close range, but Moorhouse made a good save to deflect it over the bar.
Angel City is on the road next Sunday, October 8 at 4:00 p.m. PST against the Houston Dash. That match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.