Wave drop points for second match in a row in 1-0 loss against Orlando Pride
Gia Corley played on the right wing for San Diego Wave’s 1-0 loss against the Orlando Pride. (Photo credit: San Diego Wave FC)
San Diego Wave dropped points for the second match in a row with a 1-0 loss against the Orlando Pride at home on Sunday, following a 2-2 draw against the Houston Dash on Wednesday.
“(Orlando) worked extremely hard, I mean I coached two of the players in Orlando’s backline at various times in my career,” Eidevall said. “They have a very solid team, and they worked very very hard together, so you need to have a lot of quality to break them down. We’ve seen throughout the season so far it’s one of the teams that concedes a low amount of really high value chances.”
The Wave dominated in possession and imposed their identity on the match, but the Pride remained strong and only needed one counter attack to take the lead.
“You just need to trust the process, I think we’re a team that does really want to stick to our style of play and our identity. We think the performance is the most important thing, the results will come,” McNabb said. “We can’t let two games where we drop points change our overall trajectory or the way we play because we know when we put all the pieces together we’re an amazing team, we’re dangerous and we’re going to win games.”
The Wave created more quality chances in the first half, but were unable to find a great final touch or action.
The Pride scored in the fourth minute of the six minutes added to the end of the first half. It came in a counter attacking opportunity that saw two Pride players take on three Wave defenders trying to rush back into their traditional defensive positions. Kristen McNabb tried to clear the ball as Banda entered the penalty area drawing the attention of the Wave defenders. McNabb’s touch landed right in front of Nicole Payne who was wide open and took a shot that just got past Didi Haracic to make it 1-0.
The Wave created more in the second half, but Orlando remained solid on the defensive end committing lots of numbers to their back line and inside the penalty area forcing the Wave attackers to be perfect. With some substitutes Eidevall attempted to bring a different look, but the Pride absorbed the pressure well to keep the Wave off the scoresheet.
The best chance for San Diego came in the 87th minute following a corner kick set piece that saw McNabb sending in a perfect cross to Gabi Portilho on the far post. Portilho headed the ball down well, but the chance got saved by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse.
The Wave play one more match on the road against the 15th place Chicago Stars, then will take a break for the Summer before returning on July 4, at home against the reigning NWSL champions, Gotham FC.
