Pride's Season Ends in a 1-0 Loss at Seattle — Bugg's 68th-Minute Corner Goal Sends the Reign Into the Last Playoff Spot
Orlando held Seattle scoreless for 67 minutes behind Cosette Morche's saves and a goal-line clearance, but Jordyn Bugg finished a front-post corner sequence in the 68th minute at Lumen Field, and the 1-0 Decision Day result put Seattle into the postseason on Jess Fishlock's farewell afternoon.
The Orlando Pride's regular season ended the way so much of Decision Day felt: one set piece short. Seattle beat Orlando 1-0 at Lumen Field on Sunday, in front of 16,095 fans, on a 68th-minute goal by center back Jordyn Bugg — a result that clinched the eighth and final NWSL playoff spot for the Reign.
Orlando's resistance was real. Goalkeeper Cosette Morche turned away a first-half string of Seattle chances, and in the 17th minute Oihane produced a goal-line clearance after Nerilia Mondesir lifted the ball over Morche and beat the defense to head it toward goal. The breakthrough came from a corner just after the hour: Mondesir served the ball to the front post, Jess Fishlock back-heeled it to Mia Fishel, and the deflection fell to Bugg, who slotted it into the net, Seattle's official recap said.
The afternoon also closed a career chapter. The match marked the end of Fishlock's NWSL regular-season career, and Seattle's win ended North Carolina's season in the process. Elsewhere on Decision Day, Gotham FC won its first NWSL Shield with a 2-0 victory over the Utah Royals. For Orlando, the finale is a 1-0 loss in a game the Pride defended for more than an hour — and a season that ends in Seattle.
