Marta scores as unbeaten Pride shut out Spirit, clinch league’s best record

Marta scored on a second-half penalty kick to break a scoreless tie and the Orlando Pride remained undefeated by winning 2-0 in a showdown Sunday night with the visiting Washington Spirit and clinching the best record in the NWSL.

An own goal accounted for the other tally. Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse made five saves for her 13th clean sheet of the season.

The Pride (17-0-6, 57 points), playing for the first time since posting a 4-0-1 record in September, have won three straight matches. They have three regular-season matches remaining.

The Spirit (15-6-2, 47 points) lost for the second time in their past three matches. Washington entered the match as the only team in the league still capable of catching the Pride, though the Spirit is in a close competition with NJ/NY Gotham FC and Kansas City Current for the second position in the standings.

Washington was called for 22 fouls compared to six on Orlando.

Marta’s eighth goal of the season came when she converted the penalty kick in the 56th minute by sending the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. That followed a foul in the penalty area on Washington’s Tara McKeown.

Marta has scored in back-to-back matches for the first time this season, though she had a two-goal match in June.

The own goal came in the 73rd minute when the ball went in the net off McKeown. It came as Adriana made a strong move with the ball into the box and unleashed a shot, with McKeown’s attempt to block the shot instead of redirecting the ball into the net.

The first half was relatively even in most categories, though 11 of the 14 fouls called in the opening 45 minutes were called against the Spirit.

The Pride won 3-2 on the road against Washington on April 26 in their first meeting of the season.

–Field Level Media