Angel City Football Club Falls to NWSL Champion Orlando Pride on the Road

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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls to NWSL Champion Orlando Pride on the Road

April 25, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


ORLANDO - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) fell 3-2 on the road tonight against reigning NWSL champions Orlando Pride. Forward Riley Tiernan and midfielder Katie Zelem scored for ACFC, with Marta, Barbra Banda, and an Angel City own goal rounding out the scoring.

Angel City opened the scoring in the ninth minute when midfielder Kennedy Fuller took the ball up the left wing and sent a pass to forward Riley Tiernan. Tiernan continued up the wing, cut inside past a defender, and dribbled into the box, where she took an angled shot that sailed past goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse at the near post and into the net.

The game was a back-and-forth affair as it went on, with the two teams struggling for control in the midfield and neither getting very close to goal; Angel City had their next look in the 25th minute, when a corner kick by forward Claire Emslie landed in the center of the box, where defender MA Vignola headed it on target- but Moorhouse swiped the ball away to keep the score at 1-0.

The visitors had another near miss in the 31st minute when Tiernan dribbled into the 18 and sent a lateral ball toward the center of the box for Fuller. The midfielder couldn't get a clean shot on the ball, which continued to midfielder Katie Zelem as she made a run, but her shot went wide for a goal kick.

The 43rd minute saw another ACFC attempt when forward Alyssa Thompson sent a short forward pass to Fuller at the edge of the box, who quickly turned and shot. Moorhouse jumped to get her hand on the ball and tip it over the bar for a corner.

On the resulting corner kick by Emslie- in the 44th minute- Angel City doubled the lead. The Scotland international served the ball centrally to the six-yard line, where a scrum of players leapt to try to control it. The ball pinged around the box for a moment, finally landing at the feet of Zelem, who hit a left-footed rocket into the back of the net to bring the score to 2-0.

Orlando had another look shortly after the break. Midfielder Ally Lemos sent a cross to the far side of the six-yard box, where midfielder Marta was lurking. The Brazilian star was in the right place, but couldn't line up a shot, and the ball fell to the ground, where goalkeeper Angelina Anderson claimed it.

In the 69th minute Thompson came close to finding a third goal for ACFC, as she cut inside past a wide defender, dribbled across Orlando's back line, and turned to fire off a left-footed strike that Moorhouse dove and deflected out for a corner.

The hosts pulled one back in the 72nd minute when defender Oihane sent a cross into the 18 from the right. Marta was again in the right place and redirected it into the goal to narrow Angel City's lead to one goal.

Orlando kept their foot on the gas and equalized in the 76th minute. Oihane over-hit a cross all the way past the 18, with the ball nearly rolling out over the sideline- but defender Carson Pickett kept the play alive and sent her own cross into the box, where forward Barbra Banda was making a run and headed home the equalizer.

The Pride earned two chances in quick succession in the 80th minute, first with a close-range shot by Oihane that Anderson blocked, then an attempt by forward Ally Watt following a service from Marta, again stopped by the Angel City keeper.

Orlando notched the go-ahead goal in the 93rd minute when Pickett served a diagonal ball into the box. Watt was making a run across the six, with Vignola marking her, and the ball bounced off the chest of the ACFC defender and into the back of the net.

Angel City is on the road again next Friday, May 2, against the Washington Spirit. That game will again be at 5:00 p.m. Pacific live on Prime Video.

ACFC Player Milestones

Rookie Forward Riley Tiernan scored her third career NWSL regular-season goal in the 9th minute of tonight's match. Tiernan currently leads all rookies in scoring.

Midfielder Katie Zelem scored her first career NWSL regular-season goal in the 45' of tonight's match.

Midfielder Kennedy Fuller earned her third career NWSL regular-season assist in tonight's match.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Midfielder, Katie Zelem

Thoughts on her goal:

"To be honest, I was starting to think I was jinxed, because I've missed about three sitters before. I was happy to finally put one in the back of the net. Set pieces are something we'd worked on in the first and second phase, so it was nice that it fell to me in the box and I was able to finish it."

Overall the focus moving forward:

"It's always difficult when you concede two goals close together. We knew a draw here would also have been a great result.

"They are champions for a reason. They have some good players who can change games quickly. They started piling on the pressure, and we needed to just tighten up on defending in the box. That's a focus of ours now and going forward."

ACFC Defender, Savy King

Overall thoughts on the match:

"There's a lot to be proud of on our side. I felt like we came out really strong and held them to minimal chances throughout the majority of the game. It was a pretty intense game. We knew that they were going to come out pretty hard in the second half.

"They were unfortunate goals that we gave up, but at the end of the day there's a lot to be proud of from this game and there's a lot to take away from it. The most important thing for us is just reviewing the game and looking towards the next game, while continuing the momentum that we have. Today was a good performance on our part, just not the result that we wanted."

ACFC Interim Head Coach Sam Laity

Overall thoughts on the match:

"I was satisfied with the first half. There were still moments where we really could have punished them. If some decision making around their box had been better, we would have created more goal-scoring opportunities.

"They came out and put us under pressure early in the second half. Then the momentum died a little bit and we had control of the ball. We had a couple really good moments that if we make a better decision in transition, it causes them a ton of problems and we didn't do that.

"Three crosses. Three goals. That is why they are champions. This is a good lesson for this young team. You've come away to the champion's [home] in a tough place to play. You've done very well for 70 percent of the game. When things got difficult, we lacked a little bit of experience and calmness.

"The goals are extremely frustrating. You have to stop crosses. I think it was a really strong performance for this team. That was not a game that we deserved to lose. We will take the positives and learn a lot. That is why they are the champions. That is why they won the Shield and why they won the championship."

On the Alanna Kennedy injury timing:

"Even when Alanna went out, we did switch momentum back in our favor. We had an opportunity with a three versus two. You create a moment with Alyssa around the box and Kennedy Fuller around the goal, there is a good chance there is a goal and then you're three nil up.

"I don't want to say it was Alanna going out. It was a little bit of fatigue. Maybe lacking a bit of experience. I wouldn't assign Alanna going out injured to conceding those goals."

Goals:

LA - Tiernan 9' (A: Fuller)

LA - Zelem 44'

ORL - Marta 71' (A: Oihane)

ORL - Banda 76' (A: Pickett)

LA - Vignola 90+3' (OG)

Shots Saves Fouls Offsides Corners

ORL 15 3 17 1 10

LA 10 3 16 0 6

LA Starting XI: Anderson, Angelina; Gorden, Sarah; King, Savy; Vignola, M.A.; Thompson, Gisele; Kennedy, Alanna; Fuller, Kennedy; Zelem, Katie; Emslie, Claire; Thompson, Alyssa; Tiernan, Riley

Subs: Dufour, Julie; Hammond, Madison; Phair, Casey; Reid, Megan

DNP: Stambaugh, Hannah; Miyabi; Norris, Bre; Press, Christen; Reid, Megan

ORL Starting XI: Moorhouse, Anna; Abello, Kerry; Nadaner, Kylie; Dyke, Cori; Sams, Emily; Lemos, Ally; Gautrat, Morgan; Angelina; Chiufya, Prisca; Banda, Barbra; Marta

Subs: Chanda, Grace; Oihane; Pickett, Carson; McCutcheon, Haley; Watt, Ally

DNP: Crone, McKinley; Martinez, Brianna; Chavoshi, Zara; Villacorte; Viviana

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