SANFORD, Fla. -- If there's anything to be learned following the Orlando Pride's 1-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars this past weekend, it's that the team is hungry to get back on the pitch and redeem themselves.
It was a match that the Pride dominated on the chances created and shots, but could not beat the Chicago defense and goalkeeper Alyssa Naehr, who finished with six saves on the night.
"We're slowly getting everybody on that page where we are never satisfied," midfielder Erika Tymrak said this week at Orlando Health Training Ground at Sylvan Park. "We are a winning team and we have to do everything it takes. Sometimes it's not gonna be pretty, but we have to get a result and three points."
Orlando were on a four-match unbeaten run before faltering against the Red Stars, but as they turn the page to a new week and a new opponent, the team has been bolstered by the response from the players to that loss.
"I think it starts in training and [the coaching staff] have created such a good training environment that when we do not get the result we wanted, we are upset, we're disappointed," Tymrak said, "We had a few off days after the game, and we just want to get back and play and get better. So I think it's an important mentality to have and it'll take us through the season."
For head coach Seb Hines, with all of the positives that the team took from the match, it came down to that extra little bit that he wanted to see from his team. It's a point he made in the locker room on Saturday.
"We just talked about the 2%, the extra bit, that little bit more desire to get on the end of crosses," he said, "Ultimately, that might be the difference between winning and losing.
"We created opportunities, we unlocked the Chicago defense, and ultimately it came down to just not putting the ball in the back of the net."
As they look ahead into next week, they face off against the Houston Dash on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. kickoff | TV: Paramount +). The Dash, who sit just two points above the Pride in the NWSL standings, will host the match at Shell Energy Stadium. It'll be the first of three games the Pride will play over the next seven days, two of them on the road, with one NWSL Challenge Cup match interspersed with their league matches.
"The players are hungry," Hines said, "They want this next game to come around quickly, and that's why we want them to be looking forward to it. It'll be a tough physical game, but we're more than ready for it."
Odds and ends
- 18-year-old Amanda Allen is still on international duty with the Canada under-20's women's team for the Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic.In her first two matches, she scored two goals in both a win against Jamaica and a loss to the U.S.
Orlando Pride (3-5-1, 10 points) at Houston Dash (3-3-3, 12 points)
When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston
TV: Paramount+ (subscription required)
