April 18, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Orlando Pride News Release
Need to Know:
Date & Time: Wednesday, April 19, 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Competition: UKG NWSL Challenge Cup
Match Presenting Partner: OUC
Where to Watch:
Broadcast: Paramount+ (national), NWSLsoccer.com (international)
The Story:
The Pride is set to host the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup defending champions, North Carolina Courage, for the first match of the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup.
For the first time, the Challenge Cup will now run concurrently with the regular season. The Pride are in a regional group with North Carolina, Washington and Gotham FC, with the top four teams across the league advancing to the knockout rounds.
Announced last week, the prize pool for the UKG Challenge Cup has been increased to $1 million, doubling the pool from 2022.
This match will serve as the second match of a three-game stretch for the Pride during an eight-day period. The Pride will travel to Kansas for the final match of the stretch.
Both sides enter the match with a refreshed look from the 2022 season. On the other side of the field, the Courage have made changes to the roster, adding players such as Emily Fox, Tyler Lussi and Estelle Johnson to the mix.
Last match, forward Marta made her second appearance of the season and notched her 75th NWSL Regular Season appearance. Goalkeeper Kaylie Collins, midfielder Viviana Villacorta, and defender Megan Montefusco all made their 2023 season debuts.
Quote of the Week:
“I think going back to last season where it was the very beginning, we used [the Challenge Cup] as an add on to preseason. Again this is a competitive team. A little bit different now, we’re three games into the season, Challenge Cup’s midweek. It’s a moment to use your full roster, give players opportunities to come in, but we’re here to win as well. We want to get the ball rolling, we want to start winning games and after disappointment of the weekend, it’s a great opportunity to bounce back and play in front of our fans again and show how far we’ve come.”
– Head Coach Seb Hines
Current Form
Pride’s Last Match: Gotham FC 2, Orlando Pride 0 (4/15/23, Exploria Stadium)
Goal-Scorers: Midge Purce, Lynn Williams
Courage’s Last Match: Washington Spirit 2, NC Courage 1 (4/15/23, WakeMed Soccer Park)
Goal-Scorer: Kerolin Nicoli; Trinity Rodman, Ashley Hatch
Against the Opposition:
Challenge Cup Series Record: 0-2-3
Last Matchup: Orlando Pride 0, NC Courage 3 (9/21/22, Exploria…