ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 3, 2025) – Orlando Pride (8-4-2, 26 points) played to a 1-1 draw against the Utah Royals FC (1-10-3, 6 points) on Sunday night at Inter&Co stadium following a second-half game-tying goal to earn a point.
Prisca Chilufya got the Pride on the board to level the match with a goal in the 72nd minute, notching her second of the season and her first at home. It also marked the second time this year the forward has scored a second-half equalizer for Orlando. The goal was assisted by Simone Jackson, who came on as a substitute and recorded the first assist of her professional career after making her NWSL debut in the Pride’s last match.
The night was also highlighted by forward Simone Charley making her return to the pitch. Charley originally joined the Pride ahead of the 2024 season via free agency after spending the previous two seasons with Angel City FC. She missed the entire 2024 season after rupturing the Achilles tendon in her right ankle and missed the 2023 season after sustaining the same injury in her left foot. This is the first match Charley has played since April 2, 2023, a game in which she played against the Pride with her previous club, Angel City FC.
Scoring Summary:
4’ Mina Tanaka (Kaleigh Riehl) – UTA 1, ORL 0
72’ Prisca Chilufya (Simone Jackson) – ORL 1, UTA 1
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“I think we all know it is incredibly difficult to win games in this league. The parity within the league is very close and we can’t take for granted a team like Utah. They’ve had nearly six weeks to prepare for this game. They have their principles; they have an objective to come here and get the win. It becomes incredibly difficult when you go 1-0 down so early, but you still have enough time to get yourself back into the game. And again, I think that first 20 minutes we weren’t ourselves, we couldn’t connect many passes. Other than the early opportunity from Barbra [Banda], we didn’t really create much either. The weather delay came at a good time for us because after that we were much better, and we were a lot more intentional with everything that we did. We had full belief that we’d come away with the win tonight. We knew that the equalizer would come. We put immense pressure on Utah’s backline and we just fell short. Keeper made some good saves, some good blocks, but I sound like a broken record because it keeps happening. We need to continue to work on that and when we’re on top, scoring the goal.”
Match Notes:
- Prisca Chilufya scored her second goal of the season for the Pride, with her first coming as a late equalizer against North Carolina.
- Simone Jackson recorded her first professional assist on Chilufya’s goal. Jackson made her NWSL debut in the Pride’s last match against Racing Louisville.
- Forward Simone Charley made her Pride debut after coming on as a substitute. Charley joined the Pride prior to the 2024 season but ruptured her Achilles tendon in her right ankle before the season.
- Defender Rafaelle came on as a second half substitute, making her return to the pitch from injury. Rafaelle’s last appearance for the Pride came back on March 23 earlier this season.
- Midfielder Luana was selected to the gameday roster for the first time, since being removed from the Season Ending Injury List on Saturday. In 2024, Luana was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and placed on SEI while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
- Orlando scored their 10th goal of the season after the 60th minute, which is tied for the most in the NWSL alongside the Houston Dash.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made four changes to the starting lineup from the Club’s last match before the international window with Julie Doyle, Ally Lemos, Morgan Gautrat and Carson Pickett reentering the Starting XI.
Next Match:
The Orlando Pride will remain at home as they welcome Racing Louisville on Saturday, Aug. 9, at Inter&Co Stadium. That match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION. Tickets are available here.
