Marta, Morgan Braces Lift Orlando 5-0 Over Sky Blue FC

It was not a pretty game for Sky Blue FC (7-9-2, 23 points) on Saturday night. The Orlando Pride (7-6-5, 26 points) came out of the weather delay on fire and blanked the New Jersey club 5-0 at Orlando City Stadium. Alex Morgan and Marta each scored twice with Dani Weatherholt adding a tally off her own, and Ashlyn Harris earned a shutout in her first match back since suffering an injury on May 21.

Orlando got on the board in just the 4th minute of action when Marta played a long ball forward to the feet of a sprinting Morgan. The U.S. international cut towards her left to create space between herself and SBFC defender Christie Pearce, then slotted a shot with her left foot past netminder Kailen Sheridan for the early 1-0 lead.

The Pride struck again in the 43rd minute to take a 2-0 advantage into halftime. On the play, Sheridan mishandled a ball in the box that allowed Morgan to collect it and keep the play alive. She then passed back to Camila, who used some great footwork to get around two Sky Blue FC defenders before sending a low cross towards the six-yard box. Weatherholt was open for the one-time finish for her first NWSL goal.

Orlando carried its momentum into the second half and converted early once again. In the 47th minute, Jasmyne Spencer sent a beautiful split ball to Morgan for a 1-on-1 with Sheridan, and Morgan completed her brace with a one-time finish to the opposite side-netting. Spencer would get another assist in the 53rd minute when she crossed the ball from the right flank into the box for Marta to head home for a 4-0 score line.

In the 58th minute, Morgan sent a long through ball to Marta, splitting the Sky Blue FC defense with the pass, and the Brazil international converted her second goal of the contest.

Sheridan was able to hold off the Pride attack for the rest of the match, including a penalty attempt in the 66th minute by Maddy Evans. However, Sky Blue FC could not find the back of the net despite several chances. In the 68th minute, the New Jersey side was awarded a corner kick. On the play, Kerr headed the ball towards the top of the net, but Harris made an acrobatic save to push the ball out of danger and keep her clean sheet.

The loss marked Sky Blue FC’s third in a row, and the club has allowed 14 goals during that span. The New Jersey side will look to turn things around on August 19 when Sky Blue FC hosts Seattle Reign FC at Yurcak Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

NWSL Match Report

Match: Orlando Pride vs. Sky Blue FC

Date: August 12, 2017

Venue: Orlando City Stadium; Orlando, Florida

Attendance: 5,243

Weather: 82 degrees, thunderstorms

Scoring Summary:

NJ: 0 | 0 - 0

ORL: 2 | 3 - 5

4 ORL Alex Morgan (Marta)

43 ORL Dani Weatherholt (Camila)

47 ORL Alex Morgan (Jasmyne Spencer)

53 ORL Marta

58 ORL Marta (Alex Morgan)

Lineups:

NJ: Sheridan, Stanton, Pearce, Freeman, Skroski, Killion (Hayes-62), Tiernan, Rodriguez (Corboz-46), Meehan, Kerr, Lytle

Subs not used: Casey, Mills, Kai, Richardson

Head Coach: Christy Holly

ORL: Harris, Catley, Krieger, Monica, Edmonds, Kennedy, Weatherholt (M.Evans-62), Camila (D.Evans-76), Marta, Morgan, Spencer (Driesse-69)

Subs Not Used: Ubogagu, Fields, Pressley, Bledsoe

Head Coach: Tom Sermanni

Stats Summary: ORL / NJ

Shots: 18 / 11

Saves: 3 / 7

Corner Kicks: 6 / 7

Fouls: 4 / 2

Offside: 1 / 2

Misconduct Summary:

N/A

Officials:

Referee: Elvis Osmanovic

Assistant Referee 1: Benjamin Wooten

Assistant Referee 2: Ian McKay

Fourth Official: Erika Barahona