Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 1-1 as Poor Finishing Haunts The Pride Again
Two poor penalties doomed the Pride in a 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville FC.
The Orlando Pride (8-4-3, 27 points) had two penalties saved in a 1-1 draw tonight with Racing Louisville FC (6-6-3, 21 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. Marisa DiGrande gave the visitors the lead just before halftime, and Ary Borges redirected a late Pride set piece in for an own goal.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines only made one change from the team that drew 1-1 with the Utah Royals Sunday night. Prisca Chilufya entered the lineup for Summer Yates, who exited Sunday night’s game at halftime with an injury. However, Yates started the game on the bench.
The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Carson Pickett, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Haley McCutcheon and Morgan Gautrat were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Ally Lemos, and Chilufya with Barbra Banda up top.
The Pride dominated possession in this game and created more chances than the opposition. Furthermore, they won two penalties that should’ve seen them hold a late lead. However, missed opportunities were the story for the second consecutive game as the Pride saw two more points slip through their fingers.
“Something that we spoke a lot about was starting the game fast and with lots of energy. And I think we did that today. I think we achieved that today,” Hines said after the game. “I think when you’re up and you have good momentum, you have to take advantage of that. And that’s when we’re falling short by not getting that first goal. And then anytime we don’t get that first goal, we give the other team an opportunity to win the game. And it’s already incredibly difficult. So, disappointing in that sense that we didn’t reward ourselves with the goal, but I can’t fault the players’ effort. They put everything into it. You know, you could see that there was a lot of energy. There was good intensity, both in possession and out of possession. Again, creating some really good opportunities. And it’s the final part, again, you know? I sound like a broken record, but it really comes down to that last moment of putting the ball in the back of the net.”
The Pride had the game’s first chance in the second minute when Chilufya sent a cross into the box for Doyle. The ball was knocked out before Doyle could get a foot on it, but only to McCutcheon at the top of the box. However, the midfielder fired her shot over the target.
Louisville got its first decent attack in the third minute with a dangerous ball into the box. However, it was too far ahead of Savannah DeMelo and eventually knocked out for a corner kick. DiGrande took the set piece and DeMelo turned it on goal, but it didn’t cause any trouble for Moorhouse.
The 11th minute saw the Pride create their second chance of the game when they worked the ball down the left before Dyke found Lemos in the middle of the field. The attacker took a shot from outside of the box, sending the attempt wide.
A minute later, a turnover near midfield allowed Chilufya to send Banda into the box. With a defender on her hip, Banda tried to send the shot towards goal. But the attempt went wide of the far post.
The Pride should’ve taken the lead in the 16th minute when Dyke sent Chilufya down the right. Banda was making a run, taking defenders with her, leaving Doyle open near the penalty spot. Chilufya found her teammate, and Doyle should’ve scored, but she scuffed the shot and missed the target.
In the 25th minute, Lemos slid in on DiGrande as she received a pass. The Pride midfielder got the ball first, but followed through, taking out the former Pride attacker. Referee Iryna Petunok called the foul, much to the dissatisfaction of Lemos.
The ensuing set piece by DeMelo was to the back post, where multiple players were making runs. Taylor Flint was the first to it, heading the ball wide.
The visitors created a chance in the 36th minute when Sarah Weber received a long ball near the top of the box. A good first touch saw the forward lose Sams before taking a shot. However, the attempt sailed wide of the post.
Banda received the ball on the left in the 43rd minute with Janine Sonis and Ellie Jean converging. The striker split the defenders to enter the box and Jean pulled her down. Petrunok pointed to the spot, awarding the Pride a penalty.
While Lemos and Doyle stood over the ball, it was Doyle who took the spot kick. The attacker sent her attempt towards the bottom right corner. Unfortunately, Bloomer guessed correctly, diving that direction and tipping the shot wide.
“Julie took accountability for the penalty,” Sams said about the attempt. “And then I think she came out and had a great performance.”
The ensuing corner kick was initially cleared before falling to the foot of Banda just beyond the penalty spot. The striker put her attempt on target, but Bloomer was up to the task again, tipping it over the crossbar.
Louisville cleared the second set piece, ending the attack without conceding.
On the other end, Louisville made the Pride pay for their missed chances. Sonis sent a cross that went over everyone except DiGrande beyond the far post. The midfielder had plenty of time to control the ball and place it through Moorhouse to give the visitors a 1-0.
The Pride had one last first-half chance in the final seconds when Pickett sent a ball into the box. Arin Wright got to the ball first, but headed it right to Banda. The striker put her shot on target and right into the hands of Bloomer.
After 45 minutes of action, the Pride had the advantage in possession (54%-46%), shots (8-5), shots on target (3-2), crosses (5-4), corner kicks (2-1), and passing accuracy (83%-77%). But the missed penalty and late first-half strike gave Louisville the halftime lead.
“I think it’s obviously disappointing to concede so close to halftime. But the message in the locker room was just to keep doing what we have been doing,” Sams said. “We have been dominating the whole first half. And again, besides that one chance, I don’t think they really had many other chances. And so the message was to keep doing what we need to do and to put away our chances.”
Playing away from home, you might expect Louisville to sit back and absorb pressure. But the visitors were on the front foot as the game restarted after halftime.
Just two minutes in, Louisville nearly made it two when a ball into the six-yard box floated just over the head of Emma Sears. Fortunately, Moorhouse was there to grab it and prevent further damage.
The Pride got their first chance of the second half in the 53rd minute when Banda turned on the ball and sent it towards goal. However, Bloomer was there, as she had been all night, to make the stop.
Looking for a way back into the game, Hines made a triple substitution in the 60th minute. Simone Jackson, Ally Watt, and Rafaelle came on for Doyle, Chilufya, and Dyke.
The game settled down following the substitutions with the only attempt in the next 10 minutes being an off-target shot by Gautrat.
Hines made his final two changes in the 71st minute, replacing Gautrat and Lemos with Simone Charley and Angelina.
The pair didn’t take long to get involved, both having a chance in the 73rd minute. First, it was Angelina, whose shot was blocked. The block went directly to Charley, who took a shot of her own. However, she wasn’t able to hit it cleanly, allowing Bloomer to make an easy stop.
In the 79th minute, Charley won the ball back from Flint and dribbled towards the Louisville box. The midfielder tried to pull her back but missed. Katie O’Kane caught up and put her body on Charley, causing the attacker to go down.
Petrunok initially called the foul just outside of the box, but was called to the monitor to look again. After a lengthy review, she awarded the Pride their second penalty of the night.
“Credit to Simone Charley. You know, she’s had a bumpy, up-and-down journey to get to this point. But she’s here now, and she’s making an impact,” Hines said. “And credit to her for getting her head down and working so hard to have an influence on the game. Well deserved today for winning the penalty, because she’s put a lot of work into those moments.”
Angelina stepped up to take the spot kick. It was a poor penalty with the perfect height and placement for Bloomer to push it away.
The Pride had another chance in the 89th minute when Banda won the ball in the Louisville third of the field. She found Jackson as the rookie was entering the box. However, the ball popped up on Jackson, making it difficult to put it on target. As a result, she sent the shot wide.
A foul by O’Kane in the second minute of stoppage time gave the Pride another chance to find a goal and this time they didn’t squander it. Angelina tapped the ball for Pickett, who sent a curling cross into the box. Charley flicked it forward with her head for Nadaner at the back post. However, before it reached the center back, Borges headed the ball into her own net, evening the game at 1-1.
In the ninth minute of stoppage time, Angelina took possession near midfield and carried the ball to the top of the Louisville box. She had players on either side, electing to play Banda to her right. The striker had a decent look at goal, but sent the attempt over the top.
That was the final touch as the Pride claimed a 1-1 draw for the second-consecutive game.
At full time, the Pride had the edge in possession (60.5%-39.4%), shots (16-12), shots on target (5-4), crosses (10-5), corner kicks (7-2), and passing accuracy (80.2%-73.2%). But the two penalty saves loomed large as they could only claim a point.
“I think it was a good battle. We started off really well, created some opportunities. Then, you know, Louisville took the lead,” Hines said. “And we showed great resilience again, to come back and get a point and dying seconds. We could’ve won it.”
“I would say tonight has been one of our best 90-minute performances, other than the fact that we should have scored a lot more and should have come away with three points. It’s definitely a disappointment,” Sams added. “But I would say, besides a little point in the first half, we dominated. And I think that’s the best team performance we put together. Besides just the final piece.”
This is the second consecutive game in which the Pride gave up a first-half goal and had to come back to get a point. On Sunday, they conceded in the fourth minute before equalizing in the 72nd minute. Tonight, they conceded just before halftime and equalized minutes from the end.
“It’s definitely frustrating. I mean, I think everyone feels a little bit of that frustration, but I also want to turn that into a positive,” Sams said after the game. “Because we just never gave up the whole time. And I think we had that belief as soon as we went down that we were going to win that game. So, of course, it’s frustrating to not come away with the three points. But I think it’s a positive that we stuck to what we were doing, and we never let the pressure off and never showed that disappointment.”
“We never give up. That’s a big positive from us,” Nadaner added. “I think we deserve more of that game, but the game is cruel. That’s the way it goes. And we just need to take the positives, learn from the negatives, and we go again.”
The Pride currently retain their second-place position since the Washington Spirit drew earlier in the day. However, the San Diego Wave and Seattle Reign sit just behind and have yet to play this weekend.
After a pair of draws against teams lower in the standings, the Pride head out on the road to take on the first-place Kansas City Current next Saturday afternoon.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory
Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.
After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.
“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”
The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.
After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.
Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.
The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.
“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.
In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.
The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.
In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.
The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.
It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.
To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.
“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”
Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.
Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.
Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.
The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.
Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.
The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.
“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”
Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).
The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
Bay FC is one of two expansion teams that entered the NWSL for the 2024 season. The teams have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.
The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.
On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. Just prior to the half-hour mark, Banda dribbled inside and Deyna Castellanos attempted an ill-advised challenge, resulting in a foul in the box and a Pride penalty. Adriana put the ball into the bottom left corner for the only goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the sixth win in an NWSL-record, eight-game win streak.
The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Banda got her head on the end of a Carson Pickett cross, redirecting it past Katelyn Rowland to give the Pride the 1-0 win.
Overview
The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.
Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.
The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.
Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.
If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.
Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.
Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.
It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.
However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.
“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”
The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.
Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.
Bay FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.
Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.
Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.
Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.
Forward: Cristiana Girelli.
Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.
Referees
REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: NWSL+.
Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.
Enjoy the game. Go Pride!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?
The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?
Keep the Chip
I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.
The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.
Overwhelm and Outscore
As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.
What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.
More Luana
Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.
Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.
That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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