Sky Blue FC hosted Orlando Pride on Wednesday night, the opening game in the two teams' home-and-home series that concludes on Saturday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, earning one point for both teams. While the Pride had already been eliminated from playoff contention, the draw also eliminated Sky Blue from the playoff hunt.
Despite the disappointing result for Sky Blue, there was a still a lot of action on the field to be excited about. For one, the game saw the return of Alex Morgan, the face of U.S. Soccer, to Yurcak Field, for the first time since she was traded to the NWSL expansion team.
Morgan really got the excitement going in the 23rd minute when she scored off a long ball sent in from behind midfield by Maddy Evans. The Pride would enjoy their one-goal lead until the 81st minute when Sam Kerr knocked a deflected shot into the goal to even the score. In arguably the most exciting play of the night, Jasmyne Spencer nearly earned her team three points, but Caroline Casey denied her initial shot and Kristin Grubka cleared up the dangerous deflection with a defensive bicycle kick. The save was enough to secure the draw, and both teams walked away with one point.
Sky Blue FC will no doubt be on a quest for three points on Saturday when they once again take on the Pride in Orlando. As we gear up for that rematch, take a look back at all the excitement from Wednesday's night match, courtesy of our friend Trey Madara from Brotherly Game.