The Orlando Pride were nearing their third shutout in four games, but allowed two late goals for their first loss in over a month.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Pride (6-4-4, 22 points) scored first, dominated the offensive stat sheet but ultimately failed to come away with points in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dash (4-5-5, 17 points) at Orlando City Stadium Wednesday night in front of 3,215 fans.

“I thought the first 30 minutes tonight’s the best we’ve played all season–best we’ve played for a long time,” Pride boss Tom Sermanni said after the team’s first loss in over a month. “We were incredibly dominant in the game and probably should’ve come in at halftime [with] a significant lead and finished the game.”

Orlando’s first-half dominance was led by forward Alex Morgan, who scored her first home goal of 2018. She led an unprecedented, first-half offensive charge, as Orlando tallied a team record 15 first-half shots. Of hose 15, Morgan recorded six, finding the back of the net with one of her three on-target attempts.

In the 21st minute, a failed Orlando corner evolved into a far-post cross by midfielder Christine Nairn. The cross was short, and it found the head of a Houston defender, who directed the ball toward an open Shelina Zadorsky. The Canadian, then, sent a grounded cross to Morgan in the box for an easy tap-in and a 1-0 lead.

Morgan’s third goal of 2018 was made official after referees discussed a potential offside call on Zadorsky.

“You’re told from when you’re 5 years old to finish the play,” Morgan said after the match. “So it doesn’t matter whether [Zadorsky] was [onside] or not. Once I put the ball away, I saw the ref’s flag up, and he put it down… I mean, you finish a play whether that’s on the attacking side or the defensive side, and I’m really happy I finally got a home goal.”

Said the referees in a written statement after the match: “Zadorsky received the ball by deliberate play from a defending Houston player.”

Morgan had an opportunity to score even earlier in the game, as she drew a penalty in the 12 minute. The American’s run into the box was impeded by midfielder Clare Polkinghorne, who bodied Morgan to the ground. Morgan’s ensuing penalty kick, however, went too far to the left and banged off the left post.

“I felt really good going into this game, so, when I missed the penalty, I felt like I had pretty good body language,” Morgan said. “Obviously, I was upset about it, but I wasn’t going to let that affect me the rest of the game. I got in a couple more times… At the end of the day, you just have to kinda smile and let it go…”

That would be it for the Pride the rest of the night, as they tallied just six shots (two on-goal) in the second half.

It was forward Kealia Ohai’s turn to shine, as she led helped Houston to two game-sealing goals.

In the 79th minute, Ohai was given time and space near the left corner. She stepped back and delivered what appeared to be a far-post cross that evaded all players, including a diving Ashlyn Harris, and landed in the back corner to level the game at 1-1.

About three minutes later, Ohai produced another scoring opportunity down the left side. Ohai beat forward Rachel Hill into the left part of the Pride’s box and then crossed the ball. The ensuing pass bounced off defender Monica Hickmann Alves’ hand, allowing midfielder Sofia Huerta to score a go-ahead goal from the spot.

“I wouldn’t consider the first goal [by Ohai] a scoring chance. The first goal was a mishit cross; I mean, it’s as simple as that. So that’s not a scoring chance for me,” Sermanni said. “[Ohai’s] always a dangerous player. Dangerous players, at some stage in the game, are going to create something. And what she did well in the second half–and the first half–is she stayed up the field.”

The Pride’s offense faltered in the second half when some of their best offensive threats left the match. With a 1-0 lead in hand, Orlando subbed off forwards Kristen Edmonds, Marta Vieira da Silva and Morgan in the 64th, 71st and 78th minutes, respectively. The three starters combined for nine shots (five on-goal).

Forwards Sydney Leroux, Chioma Ubogagu and Rachel Hill subbed into the game and subsequently produced only one off-target shot from Hill in the final minutes of the match.

“I mean, everybody’s tired; both teams are tired,” Sermanni said of the team’s fatigue. “The difference in the final minutes is that Houston’s holding on for dear life to a 2-1 lead, and that energizes you to stay in, to make that extra run, and it just makes it a little bit harder to break them down.”

Who’s Next?

The Pride will be back home for a Saturday-afternoon match against the North Carolina Courage (10-1-3, 33 points). When both teams met on May 23, the Courage escaped with a 4-3 win off a 90th-minute winner.

Edits Log:

6/30/18, 3:14 p.m.: Fixed a factual error correcting which defender surrendered a hand ball on Houston’s second goal.

For more on the Pride, as they look to start a new unbeaten streak, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

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