**ORLANDO, Fla.** – The Orlando Pride pulled off a massive 3-1 win over Portland Thorns FC on Sunday night to stop a two-game losing skid and send themselves back up the table a couple of places. After Portland’s Sophia Smith opened the scoring in the 20 ^th minute, a goal in the 26 ^th minute from Orlando’s Adriana brought the game back level. Then, second half goals from Adriana in the 47 ^th minute and forward Messiah Bright in the 69 ^th minute helped secure the big win.
Orlando started off with an early chance for midfielder Julie Doyle in the 14 ^th minute. Doyle was working her way toward the penalty area and had her teammate Messiah Bright to her right. However, Doyle opted to go alone and got a meager shot off after contact in the box as she failed to truly test Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby.
Going the other way almost immediately though, the Thorns then had their first chance carved out as forward Sophia Smith went on a bending run before testing Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse in the end. Smith had received a pass just inside Orlando territory when she bolted ahead and worked her way around multiple Orlando defenders. Pressing into the penalty area though, Smith was confronted and like Doyle was able to get a shot away but without nearly enough power to beat Moorhouse as the move end. Smith would then force a save out of Moorhouse in the 18 ^th minute when she broke into the left side of the box and whipped a high shot with her left foot that Moorhouse did well to catch.
However, in the 20 ^th minute, Smith finally beat Moorhouse as teammate Morgan Weaver picked Smith out with a cutback and Smith buried the opportunity from 12 yards. Weaver had been sent through down the left side of the field when she dribbled into the box and slid a pass through to Smith, who almost passed the ball in the bottom left corner to give Portland the lead.
Orlando was afforded a free kick in the 25 ^th minute that changed the course of the match when Thorns defender Natalia Kuikka fouled Julie Doyle near the edge of the penalty area. Stepping up to take was Orlando forward Adriana, and her bending right-footed shot was perfectly placed to where Bixby could get a hand to it but not keep it out as the Pride drew level from a brilliant free kick.
Into the second half, the Pride then found themselves ahead through Adriana again, this time finding the back of the net in the 47 ^th minute after a counterattack opened up space for the Brazilian. Attacker Ally Watt had received a pass still inside her own half when she split forward and eventually found Adriana with another ball forward. In behind, Adriana weaved her way in and out of two defenders before curling a right-footed shot past Bixby to the far post and in giving Orlando its first lead of the night.
Portland found another opportunity in the 68 ^th minute when a move down the right side of the field eventually saw forward Crystal Dunn find teammate Michele Vasconcelos in a similar fashion to Smith’s goal earlier. Vasconcelos then got behind a shot from just inside the box, but a solid block from the head of a Pride defender cleared the chance.
From there, Orlando played a few passes forward but eventually lost possession to the Portland defense. As the ball was worked to the left side, a poorly judged back pass from a Portland player toward Bixby was pounced on by Bright and the attacker produced true forward’s finish as she bent a shot around the goalkeeper and in to all but seal the result.
The closest Portland came to finding a goal to spark a comeback came through Michele Vasconcelos again in the 77 ^th minute, but her strike from just outside the penalty area was tipped over the bar by Moorhouse and the corner proved fruitless as Portland’s frustrations continued. In the end, the hosts were able to cling on for a 3-1 win and get one back in what has been a largely one sided matchup in Portland’s favor in recent history.
The result leaves the Pride in 8 ^th place with 13 points from 11 games, while Portland sits in 3 ^rd place with 19 points from the same amount of games but at the cost of a three-game unbeaten run ending on Sunday.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights