A five-game unbeaten streak is on the line for the Orlando Pride, as they look to give the North Carolina Courage their first loss of the season for the second year in a row.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Riding a five-game unbeaten streak, the Orlando Pride (3-2-3, 12 points) will host the North Carolina Courage (7-0-2, 23 points), a side that hasn’t been beaten at all this season.

If this situation seems familiar, that’s because it is.

In 2017, Orlando hosted North Carolina five games into the regular season and promptly delivered the Courage their first loss of the season. The Pride also earned their first win of the year in that 3-1 decision. That result came after North Carolina won by the same score on its home turf two games earlier.

Since then, the Pride have owned the series, dominating in that May 14 matchup and winning 3-2 in the regular-season finale off a free-kick goal by midfielder Alanna Kennedy. In total, Orlando leads the series with a 2-1-0 record.

Now nine games into its season, North Carolina is back in form after losing last season’s league final to Portland Thorns FC. So far, the Courage have claimed the top spot in the National Women’s Soccer League table with a nine-point advantage over second-place Seattle Reign FC.

Here’s what to expect from the Courage when they enter Orlando City Stadium on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

North Carolina Starts Season Undefeated, Again

Like last season, the Courage have started the new campaign without a loss. This includes being 3-0-0 on the road, winning 4-2 against the Washington Spirit, 2-0 against the Houston Dash and, most recently, 2-1 against Sky Blue FC.

Now, North Carolina’s road mettle will be tested even more, as the Courage embark on, perhaps, their most difficult stretch of 2018. The win over Sky Blue started a four-match road trip for North Carolina, as the Pride will be the second opponent of that trip.

“Yeah, they are unbeaten this season, so far, which, I mean, is pretty incredible for them,” Pride forward Alex Morgan said after training on May 21. “You know, so, just having them come here, we want to keep up our unbeaten streak that we have… We want to extend [our streak] and obviously hand them their first loss.

“I think that they’re definitely beatable, but we just need to be on our game plan and execute well.”

Courage Have Deadly Attack, Smothering Defense

When it comes to the attack, there has been no other team like North Carolina, so far, this season.

The Courage are dominant in almost every offensive statistic, most notably ranking No. 1 in goals scored with 15 finishes. Only three other teams, not including the Pride, have scored a double-digit amount of goals, as Portland and the Chicago Red Stars are tied in second with 12 goals each.

North Carolina also leads the NWSL in assists, as Courage players have assisted on 12 goals. That’s a significant margin from the second-place total held by Portland and Houston, as each have recorded seven.

In total, the Courage have scored two or more goals in four games, including scoring four times against Washington.

“We just went through some video this morning, and it seems that they keep the middle of the field very tight and a lot of players through there,” Kennedy said after training on May 21. “So I think, obviously, they have a lot of speed and pace and firepower up front, as well.

“So I think if we can sort of expose them through the sides, then that’ll give us some success.”

The Pride’s visitors on Wednesday, however, are not one-dimensional. North Carolina has also proven to be one of the best defensive teams.

So far in 2018, the Courage have allowed the second-fewest goals in the league, tied with Seattle at six. Utah Royals FC has allowed the fewest goals at five, and the expansion side currently resides in sixth place in the league standings.

North Carolina’s defense has played so well that neither of its two interchanging goalies–Katelyn Rowland and Sabrina D’Angelo–have tallied double-digit saves. Rowland, who has played three full matches, leads the team with nine saves; D’Angelo, who has played six full matches, has tallied seven.

Crystal Dunn, Jessica McDonald Lead North Carolina’s League-leading Attack

Behind North Carolina’s league-leading attack is two of the league’s most dominant players, at the moment.

Forwards Crystal Dunn and Jessica McDonald lead their team in goals and assists, respectively, as McDonald leads the NWSL in assists with three. Fellow forward Lynn Williams and McDonald also top the league’s leaders in shots. Williams has taken 27 shots (seven on-goal), and McDonald has attempted 25 shots (11 on-goal).

As for Dunn, she’s tied for second with Seattle’s Megan Rapinoe with four goals. She has also contributed the seventh-most shots in the NWSL with 19 (11 on-goal).

The 25-year-old also earned Week 8 NWSL Player of the Week honors for her one-goal performance against Sky Blue. She has now won the award seven times, making her the all-time leader in NWSL Player of the Week awards.

All combined, the trio of players has helped North Carolina present the most attacking threats in the NWSL. North Carolina leads the league in shots and on-goal efforts with 148 shots and 64 on-frame attempts. Portland and the rest of the competition trail far behind, as the Thorns have taken 94 shots (49 on-goal).

“I just think that [Dunn and McDonald are] obviously very agile and sharp players. Quick and strong, powerful,” Kennedy said. “So, yeah, obviously, we wanna be nice and tight on them, but, to be honest, we’re focusing on ourselves and the way that we’ve been playing and trying to continue playing that style to pick up even more points.”

For more on the Pride, as they to attempt to give North Carolina its first loss for the second season in a row, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.