The Orlando Pride rounded out their run in the Challenge Cup with a scoreless draw on the road against North Carolina Saturday. Here are three things we learned from the match:
Any match against the North Carolina Courage is going to be a defensive challenge. The Courage are a team that openly sacrifices on the defensive end to lay on pressure in the attack. The team scored nine goals in its first three matches of the Challenge Cup from four different attackers, with Debinha leading the charge to tear up backlines.
With captain Ali Krieger sidelined while she undergoes concussion protocol, the match served as a challenge for a Pride team that previously struggled to close out against top competitors.