Marta scored on a penalty kick in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and the visiting Orlando Pride earned a 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday in Harrison, N.J., in a matchup of the NWSL’s previous two champions.
Marta was involved in both goals for Orlando (2-0-0, 6 points), which has scored eight times so far.
The defending champions took the lead two minutes into the contest when Marta’s free kick was sent into the net off Gotham’s Lilly Reale. Late in the first half, the veteran forward capitalized on a foul to give Orlando a 2-0 lead.
Gotham’s Jess Carter fouled Angelina in the penalty area in the 43rd minute. Marta scored her first goal of the season by burying a left-footed shot into the right side of the net after Gotham goalie Ann-Katrin Berger dove to her right.
Marta picked up the goal after getting denied on a left-footed try in the 26th minute.
Gotham (0-1-1, 1 point) held possession for 59.8 percent of the match and only put four of its 15 shots on goal.
Orlando goalie Anna Moorhouse made four saves for her 22nd regular-season shutout. Moorhouse protected the shutout by stopping Khyah Harper’s header in the 79th and denied Taryn Torres 20 minutes earlier.
In the first half, Moorhouse protected a one-goal lead by stopping Ella Stevens in the center of the goal in the 20th minute.
Berger made three saves for Gotham.
–Field Level Media
