Midfielder Haley McCutcheon scored a pair of goals to lead the Orlando Pride to a 3-1 victory over host Bay FC on Sunday before 11,393 fans at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
It was an important victory for Orlando as it improved to 10-13-3 with 33 points. The Pride are still well below the playoff line in the NWSL standings. They are in 11th place and seven points behind the No. 8 team in the table, the Seattle Reign, with four matches left in the season. Bay FC is 7-14-5 with 26 points and is 13th in the league.
Orlando stayed unbeaten against Bay FC, improving to 5-0-1.
McCutcheon’s brace was her second of the season and she upped her goal count to six on the year. She got Orlando on the board quickly. Just two minutes into the match, McCutcheon got the ball to Solai Washington on the left, outside of the box.
Washington drove toward goal as the defense converged on her. She played the ball back to McCutcheon, who took a right-footed shot on her first touch that curled into the top right corner of the net past diving Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz.
It was McCutcheon’s fifth goal of the season and Washington’s third assist.
Bay FC evened the match in the 11th minute. Racheal Kundananji headed in a Claire Hutton cross to tie it with her third goal of the season after the Pride could not clear a corner kick.
The score stayed level until McCutcheon struck again in the 47th minute to put Orlando ahead 2-1. The midfielder netted a header into the top middle of the goal from close range off a corner kick from Angelina for her sixth goal of the campaign. Angelina earned her second assist of the season.
With seconds remaining in stoppage time, Jacquie Ovalle scored for the final margin. With Barbra Banda holding the ball and directing traffic in the midfield, she found Ovalle running into space. After driving into the defense, Ovalle got to the top of the box and unleashed a shot with her right foot, past Silkowitz into the middle far right of the goal.
It was Ovalle’s third goal of the season and Banda’s fourth assist.
Orlando’s defense was anchored by Cori Dyke with nine clearances and seven saves from Cosette Morché.
The Pride return home to Inter.co Stadium on Friday as they host the second-place San Diego Wave. That game will kick off at 8 p.m. Orlando defeated San Diego 1-0 in California on May 24 in the teams’ previous meeting.
After playing the Wave, the Pride close out the season at Houston on Oct. 18, at home versus Gotham FC on Oct. 25 and at Seattle on Nov. 1.