Angel City FC fell 0–1 to the Orlando Pride at home today, following an early goal by forward Sydney Leroux.
The match got off to a frenetic start, and the visitors opened the scoring in the third minute. Forward Darian Jenkins found fellow forward Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir to the right of the penalty box, and the Icelandic international sent the ball across the face of goal to Leroux. Leroux had a clear shot at the net and one-timed the ball, which Angel City defender Megan Reid tried to block—but it bounced off her leg and into the top netting.
In the sixth minute, forward Tyler Lussi nearly got one back for Angel City when she got her foot on a recycled free kick and lobbed it towards goal. It dropped at the right angle to beat Orlando keeper Erin McLeod, but landed wide.
Orlando’s aggressive pressure kept Angel City on the back foot for much of the half, and the Pride got two more chances in the 17th and 20th minutes, one a Leah Pruitt header and the second a one-touch strike by Leroux on a pass from the right by Jenkins.
'They pressed us well, especially in the first half, and tended to harry us,' said head coach Freya Coombe after the game, 'but we made too many mistakes that were of our own making, and were not able to connect passes and do some of the basics.'
As the half went on, ACFC worked their way back into the game, maintaining more possession and limiting the Pride’s chances. In the 41st minute, forward Christen Press had a look on goal, dribbling around Carrie Lawrence to get one-on-one with McLeod, who saved her shot to the near post. The home team came close again in the 44th minute when a scramble in the box following a Jun Endo corner kick ended with the ball at Lussi’s feet, and she sent it into the six-yard box for defender Vanessa Gilles; her close-range header went over the bar.
'You never want to give up an early goal, of course,' said defender Jasmyne Spencer after the game, 'but I think our fight and our grit was evident in the remainder of the game. We were unfortunate not to pull one back, especially at the end of the first half.'
The home team had the better of the second half, starting with a chance in the 57th minute. Press dribbled around her mark to find space and took a hard left-footed shot from outside the 18. It deflected off McLeod’s arm and fell to forward Simone Charley, who sent the rebounded ball wide.
The Pride’s best chance in the second half came in the 71st minute, when midfielder Mikayla Cluff found Leroux inside the 18. Her shot was on frame, but Gilles blocked and the ball deflected out for a corner kick.
Late in the half, Angel City had a flurry of scoring opportunities, including one in the 90th minute where Press sent a through ball to forward Jun Endo, who slotted a low cross to Lussi. She got a close-range shot, but McLeod was positioned well and blocked it.
'I think we were right there at the end of the game,' said Spencer 'Maybe another couple minutes, we do equalize. We’re eager to continue to grow and prove we’re a contender in this league.'
Despite outplaying Orlando in the second half—with seven shots to Orlando’s four, including three on target—Los Angeles were unable to equalize, and the ref blew the final whistle after four minutes of added time.
While she was up front about the group's performance, Coombe also noted that the team had some good defensive plays, and underscored the challenge of putting in strong performances week after week, especially for a new team. 'We had a couple of chances tonight that last week we’d score, this week we don’t score… One of the hardest things for teams that are so new is the consistency, and that’s what we build towards, so we’re not fluctuating each week.'
Spencer echoed Coombe. 'It’s easy to forget, especially after last week that we are a new team, it’s only our second regular-season game and these learning curves hurt,' she said. 'But again, we have a long season ahead of us. We’ll go back, fix what we did today, and hopefully get back on track next season.'
ACFC is on the road against Washington next Sunday, May 15, at 2 p.m. PST. The match will stream live on Paramount+.
