The Orlando Pride defeated the Utah Royals 6-0 Friday night in a record-setting performance. In front of the third-largest crowd in club history — and the biggest for a game that wasn’t the team’s home opener — the Pride scored the most goals in team history and won by the largest margin in team history. Barbara Banda became the second Pride player to be involved in four goals in a game with two goals and two assists. While it was a dominant performance, Head Coach Seb Hines will undoubtedly be pleased with when the team scored its goals.

Since taking over as interim head coach in 2022, Hines has spoken several times about the “big five moments” in games. These include the beginning of the game, just before halftime, right after halftime, the end of the game, and right after a goal. Soccer is largely a game of momentum, and scoring in those moments can be crucial. It can lift a team to a win, while failing to make the most of those points in the game can send the club to a loss.

On Friday night, the Pride scored in all of these moments, enabling them to keep full control of the game. While not the earliest goal they’ve scored, Barbra Banda’s 27th-minute header gave the Pride a much-needed and deserved lead. Summer Yates intercepted a poor Agnes Nyberg pass in the third minute of first-half stoppage time and beat Mandy Haught to make it 2-0, putting a second goal on the board just before the break.

The Pride have dominated several first halves this season, but rarely led by more than one at halftime. When the opponent gets into the break only down one, it provides inspiration to go back out and find an equalizer. Similarly, failing to convert shortly after halftime keeps the opposition in the game. The second goal just before halftime was essential in keeping control of the game and it led to a third.

“The message to the players at halftime is 2-0 is always a dangerous score line,” Hines said after the game. “We’ve got to make sure we get that third goal.”

The Pride took that message to heart, scoring just two minutes into the second half. The second goal just before the break took the wind out of the sails of the Royals, enabling the Pride to continue pushing. That third goal sealed the three points for the Pride, ensuring a comeback wouldn’t occur.

“To get it so quickly after halftime was important for us,” Hines said about the team’s third goal of the night. “And I think that momentum kind of settled us into the rest of the game.”

Banda took advantage of another bad pass in the back in the 86th minute to make it 4-0, found Marta two minutes later to make it 5-0, and the duo teamed up to set up Ally Watt for the sixth in the fifth minute of stoppage time. They nearly had a seventh just before the final whistle when a Marta corner kick was headed off the crossbar by Kylie Strom.

For the first time since taking over as head coach, the Pride scored in each of the big five moments that Hines has spoken so often about. Each of those conversions had an impact on the win and on what became a historic night for the club.

The Pride have made huge improvements during the 2024 season. They’ve been much more accurate when shooting and shown an ability to close out games, while multiple young players have shown development. Scoring in each of the big five moments for the first time is another milestone. The next step is to do that more often as the Pride look to become the top team in the NWSL.

“It was incredible to get into those positions and be relentless and score the goal and put the ball in the back of the net,” Hines said after the game. “There’s a lot of games still to be played. But I think what the players have set for themselves, they want that consistency.”

While most people will focus on the number of goals, the margin of victory, or the clean sheet, scoring at the most significant points of the game was another major factor in the team’s impressive performance. It’s something they’ll look to repeat as the season continues.

The Orlando Pride announced this afternoon that the club has agreed to a new two-year contract with defender Brianna Martinez. The deal will keep the right back in purple through the 2025 NWSL season.

“We’re excited to keep Bri in Orlando through next season,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in a club press release. “She invested in herself in the off-season and has demonstrated she can step up and perform when called upon. She’s been a reliable contributor at every opportunity presented to her. Since joining us in 2023, she’s provided a spark when coming off the bench and has excelled when it’s been her time to start in the back line. She’s enthusiastic to play any role asked of her, competes every day in training, and challenges those around her to do the same. She’s earned this new contract with her commitment to growth and her consistent performances day-in and day-out, and we’re thankful she wants to continue building with us.”

Martinez was selected by Racing Louisville with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. The Notre Dame product joined the Pride during the 2023 preseason as a non-roster invitee, eventually making the team. She played in eight regular-season games off the bench last year, recording 49 minutes. Additionally, she played in four NWSL Challenge Cup games (three starts), recording 301 minutes. The second-year player has made a much more significant impact this season, often starting at right back. She’s played 12 games this year (eight starts) and recorded 696 minutes.

“I am beyond thrilled to be staying in Orlando. I have already learned so much from my coaches and teammates, and I cannot wait to continue to grow as a player with such an amazing team,” Martinez said in the club’s release. “This is such a special environment and I’m so excited to continue to be a part of it. Vamos Pride!”

Prior to being selected in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Martinez was a key contributor at the University of Notre Dame. She captained the team during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, logging 1,476 minutes and recording two goals and two assists during her collegiate career. She was also selected to the U.S. U-23 National Team for the 2022 Thorns Preseason Tournament.

The Pride picked up Martinez’s contract option for 2024 during the off-season, meaning she would have been out of contract after this season. As has been club practice in recent years, Orlando has eliminated the need to negotiate a new deal in the off-season by signing Martinez early and extending her stay in the City Beautiful.

What It Means for Orlando

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has made multiple positional moves this season, including shifting Kylie Strom from left back to center back, Emily Sams from center back to right back, Kerry Abello from attacking midfield to left back, and Haley McCutcheon from right back to defensive midfield. Martinez hasn’t been the first choice right back this season, but Rafaelle’s injuries and international absences have forced her into a starting role as Sams has shifted over to center back.

Rafaelle and Sams are signed through the 2025 NWSL season, so Martinez will likely continue in a reserve role. However, her signing ensures depth at that position. Given that she’s played in 12 games this season and started nine, Hines clearly trusts her in that role and will deploy her as the starting right back when needed.

The Orlando Pride (9-0-5, 32 points) got back to their winning ways and extended their unbeaten run to 14 games with a club-record 6-0 win over the Utah Royals (2-11-1, 7 points) tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbra Banda and Marta each scored twice while Summer Yates and Ally Watt added one.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines deployed the same lineup that played to a scoreless draw with the North Carolina Courage last weekend. Anna Moorhouse was in goal behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Bri Martinez. Haley McCutcheon and Yates were the defensive midfielders behind an attacking midfield of Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana. Banda was again the lone striker.

The Pride dominated this game from the opening seconds. They constantly threatened the Utah goal and had little to do defensively for most of the contest. Their impressive accuracy of putting 21 of 28 shots on target was key as they netted a team-record six goals and won by the largest margin in team history.

The Pride created the first chance of the game in the second minute when Abello sent Doyle down the left. The speedy midfielder tried to get around Zoe Burns in the box, but the defender did well to slide in and knock the ball out of play. The ensuing set piece by Yates found the head of McCutcheon at the near post, but she sent the redirection over the goal.

The Pride’s high press forced a turnover from the goal kick, winning back possession and creating another chance. Receiving a pass from McCutcheon, Adriana played the ball across the field for Abello. The left back took a long-distance shot into the arms of Royals goalkeeper Mandy Haught.

It looked like the Pride might strike in the ninth minute through a defensive mistake. Lauren Flynn played the ball back for Haught who misplayed it. Banda darted for the loose ball, arriving at the same time as Haught. While the forward went down, Haught got to the ball first.

The Royals created their first decent chance in the 19th minute when Ally Sentnor played the ball wide for Madison Pogarch and made a run to the far post. Pogarch’s cross found Sentnor, but she could only head it back, where it ended up with Amandine Henry outside of the box. The French international’s shot was deflected by McCutcheon, giving the visitors a corner kick.

The ensuing set piece by Sentnor was headed towards goal by Pogarch. Kate Del Fava put a body on Moorhouse, but the Pride goalkeeper was able to grab the ball and end the threat.

The Pride quickly went the other way with Doyle dribbling down the left. She played the ball to Adriana near the top of the Royals’ box and the Brazilian continued it on for Banda on the right. The striker was looking for the far post with her shot, but the ball rolled wide.

In the 26th minute, Sams sent a beautiful long diagonal ball for Doyle on the left. Dribbling inside, the midfielder took an ambitious shot towards goal, but it went straight to Haught.

The Pride’s pressure kept the ball in the Royals third of the field and they quickly created another chance. Marta sent a dangerous ball in front of the goal where Adriana was running in. The pass was a bit too far in front of her, but Banda retained possession for the Pride on the right. The forward found Adriana in front of goal, but Haught was there.

The Royals goalkeeper should’ve been able to collect the ball, but spilled the chance, forcing Del Fava to clear it out for a Pride throw-in. Off of the restart, Abello sent the ball to the back post where Banda got her head to it and put it in to give the hosts a much-deserved 1-0 lead.

“The first goal, header back post. We talked a lot about her coming into this game being in the width of the goal, being in goal-scoring positions when we’re in crossing positions,” Hines said about the first goal. “And so she took that information on and she put herself in a threatening position.”

“The main target is to score in the first minutes because it keeps the game so easy when you score first,” Banda said about the Pride scoring first. “And I think for me, I feel scoring early goals is more important to the team when we keep calm, so that we are not pressured. So, I think we really wanted that goal.”

The goal was Banda’s ninth of the season, tying her with Portland’s Sophia Smith for the league lead.

In the 37th minute, Macey Fraser’s cross towards the far post was headed away by Martinez. Pogarch came flying into the play, taking Martinez out. The ball went to Ana Tejada, who sent a hard shot towards goal. It was on frame, but Moorhouse did well to get down and make the stop. In the meantime, Martinez remained on the ground after the hard contact. While she required attention, the right back eventually got up and was able to continue.

Following the restart, the Pride nearly got a second through an excellent effort by Yates. The second-year midfielder used her change of pace to beat Michele Vasconcelos and shoot. The ball was dipping under the crossbar, forcing Haught to tip it over.

The Pride took advantage of a terrible mistake in the back by Agnes Nyberg in the third minute of first-half stoppage time to double their lead. After receiving the ball, Haught played a short pass to Nyberg. She was looking to send it wide for Del Fava, but it was a weak pass. Yates took possession and beat Haught to give the Pride a 2-0 lead.

In the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, Doyle played Adriana forward. A late challenge by Tejada saw the Brazilian go down and the defender was booked. The ensuing set piece by Adriana was tipped by Haught off the crossbar, but the referee determined that it went directly off the crossbar and issued a goal kick.

It was a dominant first half by the Pride, who had the advantage in possession (63%-37%), shots (12-4), shots on target (9-3), corner kicks (5-1), crosses (22-3), and passing accuracy (91%-77%).

“The message to the players at halftime is 2-0 is always a dangerous score line,” Hines said about his halftime speech. “We’ve got to make sure we get that third goal.”

The Pride continued their domination over Utah at the start of the second half, scoring just two minutes after the restart. Adriana’s cross was headed out by Tejada, but only to Marta at the top of the box. After controlling it with her left foot, the Pride captain sent her second touch inside the near post to give the Pride a commanding 3-0 lead.

“To get it so quickly after halftime was really important for us,” Hines said about the early second-half goal. “And I think that momentum kind of settled us into the rest of the game.”

The Royals attempted to get one back on the other end when Paige Monaghan found Henry with space in the 50th minute. The midfielder attempted a long-distance shot, but it never challenged Moorhouse. The bouncing ball was straight to the Pride goalkeeper, enabling the English shot-stopper to make an easy save.

The Pride nearly got a fourth in the 57th minute when Adriana lifted the ball wide for Banda. The Brazilian made a run to the middle of the six-yard box while Strom headed for the back post. Banda sent a dangerous ball across the mouth of the goal, just missing the foot of Strom.

Shortly after the chance, the Pride made their first two changes in the 59th minute. Cori Dyke and Angelina came into the game for Abello and Doyle.

Utah didn’t create many good chances in this game, but had one in the 64th minute when Henry played a great ball forward for Monaghan, sending her behind the back line. Monaghan dribbled into the box and sent a low cross through the six before Dyke could catch her. Halftime substitute Hannah Betfort was making a run, but couldn’t get to it, enabling the Pride to clear the danger.

In the 64th minute, Martinez went down off the ball. The right back required treatment, resulting in lengthy delay. During the stoppage, the Pride made two more substitutions. While Martinez was able to leave the field under her own power, she was replaced by Carrie Lawrence. Additionally, Ally Lemos came into the game for McCutcheon.

Adriana used a nice piece of skill in the 71st minute to flick the ball behind the Utah back line for Yates making a run into the box. However, Del Fava did well to get a touch to the ball, enabling Haught to collect it. Yates stuck a foot in trying to knock it past the Royals goalkeeper, but she was too late.

The teams headed to the sidelines in the 79th minute for the second-half hydration break. Hines took that time to make his final substitution of the night, replacing Yates with Watt.

The Pride almost took advantage of another bad pass by Utah in the 81st minute when Tejada sent the ball straight to Lawrence. The defender sent a long pass behind the Royals back line for Banda to run onto, putting the striker in on goal. She attempted to beat Haught to her near post, but the goalkeeper made an excellent one-handed stop, knocking it wide.

Lemos made her first significant impact in the 84th minute, when she played Watt through with the outside of her foot. Watt sprinted past her defenders and into the box, but Haught came off her line to claim the ball before the forward could get a decent shot off.

Banda took advantage of another bad pass in the back to score her second of the game in the 86th minute. Pressured by Adriana, Pogarch cut back and played a pass behind her to Tejada. The center back took her eye off the ball, resulting in it going behind her. Banda beat the defender to the loose ball, dribbled around Haught, and put it in to make it 4-0.

“Second goal is just raw talent,” Hines said about Banda’s second goal. “You know, her speed is incredible. She makes something out of nothing and having the calmness to go around the keeper and slot it with her left foot.”

The goal by Banda saw her take the league lead in goals with 10 on the season.

“I think when I get a chance, I have to put the ball at the back of the net,” Banda said about her scoring mentality. “If anything I didn’t score, then I just have to go back to my drawing board and work hard so that the next time I can find a goal.”

Just two minutes later, the Pride scored their fifth of the night. Again, Lawrence played a nice ball down the right for Banda, who sprinted behind Tejada. She found Marta wide open in the box and the Brazilian probably should’ve taken it first time. However, she took a touch before sending it past Haught and increasing the lead to 5-0.

Banda was looking to become the first Pride player to net a hat trick in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. She dribbled past a clearly tired Tejada and tried to beat Haught to her near post, but hit the outside of the net.

In the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, the Pride took the largest lead in team history. It started when Marta backheeled the ball with a defender on her back for Banda. The forward sent a cross into the box that was very well taken by Watt. Her perfect first touch beat Flynn and the substitute put it past Haught to give the Pride a 6-0 lead.

The Pride nearly scored a seventh goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time. It came from a corner kick after Flynn knocked the ball out of play. Strom outjumped a pair of defenders to get her head to the ball, hitting it off the crossbar. That was the last chance as the final whistle blew seconds later, securing the Pride’s historic 6-0 win.

The Pride finished the game with the edge in possession (63%-37%), shots (27-11), shots on target (20-9), corner kicks (8-4), crosses (31-8), and passing accuracy (89%-78%).

“It’s an outstanding performance. Flawless really. You know, the amount of goals that the players scored and to get a clean sheet. I think most importantly, it was for the fans tonight,” Hines said about the game. “I think when you look at the fixtures and you look at days like today, you know, it means a lot to the community and so we had to do our job tonight. And the players fully did that. You know, they put a real show on for the fans and the supporters who have supplied and gone through, you know, moments of adversity eight years ago. And so we’ve thought that performance epitomizes what this team is about, and the determination, their grit, and the relentlessness to go after it and get a comprehensive win.”

“We talked so much about it and I think everybody thinks about the last two games that we did and they were not happy with the results and not happy with our performance,” Marta added. “We created but we didn’t score enough and especially in the last game. Tonight, we were determined to do something different, to score all of the goals that we didn’t score last game. So, I think we did a good job when we talk about defensive and when we go to attack or we have so much passion and hunger to score. So, I think this makes a huge difference tonight.”

The 6-0 win is the largest win in team history. Previously, the Pride had beaten Sky Blue FC 5-0 on Aug. 12, 2017 and the Chicago Red Stars 5-0 on Aug. 20, 2023.

“We had a good chat after the North Carolina game because we left the game feeling disappointed that we weren’t able to score the goals that we created. But you can see tonight there was a real passion, a real hunger to put the ball back in the net,” Hines said about the six goals. “And there were some really good goals tonight. And I still think we left some on the table as well, which is remarkable, but to end the game with Adri, Ally, Barbra, Marta as a front four is pretty scary. And as the game went on, you could see the spaces and the opportunities that present themselves.”

While the focus will be on the most lopsided win in team history, the Pride extended their club record and league-leading unbeaten run to 14 games. They’re now only six results short of the NWSL record of 20, set by the Washington Spirit between 2021 and 2022. It would be another league record after they set the longest win streak earlier this season.

“Of course, we know there’s going to come one point we’re going to lose games too. But so long no happen,” Marta said about the unbeaten run. “Let’s enjoy the situation because it’s so good to be involved in situations like that. Especially with Orlando how we’ve never had a run like this one before.”

This was a record-setting game on the field and in the stands. In addition to the most goals scored in a game in club history and the highest margin of victory in club history, the attendance of 9,656 is the highest attendance ever for a game not on opening day. It was also the second-highest attendance for a Pride game at Inter&Co Stadium and the third-highest attendance in club history. The Pride previously drew 14,525 in their first game at their current stadium and 23,403 in the first game in club history at Camping World Stadium.

Having returned home and gotten back to their winning ways, the Pride will now head back out on the road for a three-game league road trip. It starts Sunday, June 30 when the Pride visit Angel City FC in Los Angeles, CA.