Pride lose momentum in NWSL defeat at North Carolina

The Orlando Pride failed to maintain momentum from last week’s victory over reigning NWSL champion Portland, losing 3-0 on Saturday night at North Carolina (6-4-2).

“We didn’t have the internal drive that we showed last week against Portland and to go straight to the ball,” Pride coach Seb Hines said. “That was a disappointing factor of the game.”

The defeat marked a third consecutive road loss for the Pride (4-7-1) who have the fewest goals (10) this season.

The Pride came into the weekend off a 3-1 win against the Thorns at Exploria Stadium on Sunday. They hoped the triumph over the top-five team would breathe new life into their season.

The Pride came out strong Saturday in their first regular-season meeting with the Courage, taking three shots within the first 10 minutes.

But the Courage quickly settled into their play, maintaining 70% of possession for the rest of the game.

Star forward and league goal-leader (7) Kerolin took a right-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box in the 32nd minute to score the match’s first goal.

The first half ended 1-0 with 3 shots on goal for the Courage and 1 for the Pride.

The Courage earned their second goal with Meredith Speck’s bottom-right shot from outside the box in the 77th minute. Assisted by Olivia Wingate, it was Speck’s first goal of the season.

An own goal for the Pride in the 83rd minute locked in the victory for the Courage.

“We just weren’t ourselves today,” Hines said. “Every second ball, North Carolina was there. They pressed effectively and we didn’t have that sharpness, and it’s becoming a theme away from home. That was the message after the game. We’ve got to figure this out away from home and we need to start picking up points away from home. We can’t only rely on our home form. So again, it’s just going back to the drawing board, see where we can improve.”

The Pride, who next face Kansas City at Exploria Stadium on Saturday, had no shots on goal in the second half.