**Harrison, New Jersey** – Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride battled to a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night, with the visitors establishing an early lead that was cancelled out by a spot kick for the hosts in a tight attacking display.
It was the visitors Orlando who ended up in front first, finding a goal after just 10 minutes of play. Earning a corner, fantastic delivery from Angharad James saw midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir rise to meet it with her head, and the effort squeezes past Gotham FC goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and in.
As Gotham worked its way back into the match, though, they had a pair of opportunities in the middle of the opening half including a great chance for forward Ifeoma Onumonu in the 32 ^nd minute. Picking up a loose ball bouncing around the penalty area, Onumonu was able to settle the ball and dance around a pair of Pride defenders, but as goalkeeper Kaylie Collins applied pressure with a close down the forward was unable to direct her shot on frame.
However, just before the end of the half, the hosts would find the equalizer they were searching for as they earned a penalty kick through Onumonu’s efforts. Wriggling her way down near the byline, Pride defender Toni Pressley was judged to have brought the forward down inside the area. Stepping up to slot home her second consecutive penalty attempt of this year’s tournament, midfielder Kristie Mewis drove a powerful effort to the lower left corner to beat Collins and bring the game level.
At the halftime interval, Gunny’s early header ends up cancelled out by Gotham’s Kristie Mewis from the spot as the pair entered in level after 45 minutes played.
Into the second half, Gotham again looked the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock early on. In the 55 ^th minute, Onumonu was able to settle a cross in the penalty area where attacker Kumi Yokoyama was waiting, but their effort was deflected off a Pride defender and out of play with the ensuing corner not producing anything of quality.
Just past the hour mark, the two sides would end up trading their best second half opportunities in back-to-back minutes in search of what would be a winner.
In the 64 ^th minute, Harris pulled off an incredible splitting save to prevent Pride midfielder Kerry Abello from putting her team one-up. Played in by teammate Mikayla Cluff, Abello cut and attempted to slide a left-footed effort past Harris, but the netminder was equal to it to see the danger cleared.
Then, one minute later, Onumonu broke in on goal and is off to the races for a 1v1 with Collins. However, remaining big, Collins denies the onrushing forward to keep the match level.
The hosts were not done on the night, though, and nearly went up in the 78 ^th minute through forward Paige Monaghan. Entering the box on the left side, Monaghan rifled the crossbar with an unbelievable effort from a tight angle, though she could only watch in agony as the ball ricocheted back into play. Keeping play alive, Gotham continued to press as Mewis dug a ball out for Monaghan out wide but the midfielder’s service toward the near post was again repelled by Collins.
In the 89 ^th minute, the hosts produced one final chance as substitute Cameron Tucker took possession down to the endline and fired in a low cross that deflected off the leg of the defender Pressley and landed narrowly wide of the goalmouth as a near own goal almost ended up the difference maker.
In the end, a respectable number of chances created by both teams ultimately saw the points shared though not through lack of effort as Gunny’s early goal was equaled by Mewis’s spot kick to add to player of the match efforts out from both goalkeepers.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights