The host Orlando Pride needed a victory Wednesday night over Mexican side Pachuca to advance in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, and a first-half goal put Orlando in the driver’s seat.
But Pachuca fought back to earn a 1-1 draw and knock the Pride out of the tournament.
“Obviously disappointing that we didn’t come away with a win tonight. I thought we did enough, created enough chances,” Pride coach Seb Hines said. “We’re disappointed to be out of this competition because it was something that we set out to do at the start of the year — to qualify, and it wasn’t meant to be.”
Pride captain Marta, in her 150th appearance in all competitions for Orlando, stepped up for a free kick in the 25th minute with a chance to take a vital early lead. The Brazilian placed it beautifully into the top corner, just barely kissing the post before landing in the back of the net.
Pachuca levelled the score with a goal in the 54th minute. Orlando’s defense failed to clear the ball from in front of goalkeeper Cosette Morché, giving Chinwendu Ihezuo a chance to get on the end and fire the ball toward the goal. Her shot deflected off Emily Sams and into the net.
Orlando looked threatening at times in the second half, but Pachuca goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras stepped up to keep players like Summer Yates and Haley McCutcheon from finding a winner despite several good looks.
“You gotta be a killer in front of goal. We work so hard to create those opportunities to score, and you want that feeling of hitting the back of the net and walking away knowing that you’ve won the game,” Hines added. “It’s something that we will continue to work on. We have to continue to create those opportunities.”
With the W Champions Cup campaign over, the Pride turn their attention to the final two NWSL games — starting Saturday afternoon in Washington — as they look to stay in third place heading into the postseason.
Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 11:19 PM EDT