Orlando

North Carolina Courage’s Late Goal Ends Orlando Pride Winning Streak

Published

7 years ago

May 24, 2018

ORLANDO (FNN SPORTS) - Alex Morgan and the Orlando Pride fought to defend their 5-game winning streak against the North Carolina Courage Wednesday, but couldn't quite hold them. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The Orlando Pride returned home on a five-game winning streak and had to fight tooth and nail to defend it against the #1 team in the National Women’s Soccer League, North Carolina Courage, Wednesday. From the first whistle, the currently loss-less North Carolina put the pressure on, and Orlando had to stay on the defensive.

FIRST HALF

In the 6th minute of the game, Orlando was saved by the ref–North Carolina made what would have been a goal, but it was ruled offsides.

Much of the first half saw North Carolina rushing to the goal and Orlando scrambling to protect it. In the 30th minute, North Carolina’s Denise O’Sullivan assisted Jessica McDonald for the first goal of the game.

Despite shot attempts by Chioma Ubogagu (21′), Alanna Kennedy (26′) and Christine Nairn (39′), Orlando was still scoreless at the half, leaving the score at 1-0. For the Courage, it appears they knew it was a numbers game–they made 16 shots in the first half compared to Orlando’s three.

SECOND HALF

In the 52nd minute, Orlando finally got the equalizer: Marta rushed to the goal and made the kick, and Ubogagu tipped it into the back of the net.

In the 57th minute, however, the Courage pulled out ahead again with another goal: Debinha scored with the assist from McDonald, making the score 2-1.

In the 62nd minute, the Courage got a goal with a little help from Orlando goalie Ashlyn Harris. Samantha Mewis made the kick, which bounced off the right goal post, but in Harris’s attempt to knock it away, she tipped it in, making the score 3-1. The goal was immeddiately challenged.

The Pride, however, quickly brought their answer: Alanna Kennedy scored the Pride’s second goal, assisted by Nairn, bringing the score to 3-2.

In the 72nd minute, Emily van Egmund was issued a yellow card.

Orlando’s substitutions began in the 74th minute. Dani Weatherholt and Rachel Hill were subbed in for Christine Nairn and Chioma Ubogagu respectively. Poliana then subbed in for Carson Pickett in the 78th minute. North Carolina made their first sub in the 80th minute: Kristen Hamilton subbed in for Debinha.

In the 82nd minute, Marta manipulated the ball from the left and made the cross to Rachel Hill, who launched it to the back of the net, equalizing the score again at 3-3.

While things were looking up for Orlando, North Carolina’s Jessica McDonald scored the late goal in the 89th minute, breaking the tie.

Head Coach Tom Sermanni was less than pleased with his team. “Our first half performance, I would say was probably the poorest performance I think our team has put in the two-and-a-half seasons that I’ve been here,” he noted during the postgame press conference. “We came right back into the game. Kept coming back into the game. But then it was like we came back into the game and then took our foot off the pedal instead of getting on with it.” He went on to say that the team has to play better given the caliber of players on the roster.

Marta attributed the loss to the team’s lack of confidence. “We need to want to win more. We’re playing at home, we’re playing in front of our crowd, so we need to show them that we own it and that’s our home,” she said during the postgame press conference. “We need to be more aggressive.”

The Pride head back on the road for two matches starting Saturday, May 26 against the Chicago Red Stars at 3:30pm and Sunday, June 3 against the Seattle Reign at 9pm. The Pride’s next home game is on Saturday, June 16 at 7:30pm against Sky Blue FC.

________________________________

Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 months ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

6 months ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.