Banda’s 2 goals keep Orlando Pride undefeated in NWSL

ORLANDO, Fla. — Barbra Banda was involved in all four of Orlando’s goals as the Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 on Wednesday night to remain one of three undefeated teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.

The Pride (4-0-3) scored first in the 29th minute when Banda received the ball deep in her defensive half and dribbled by several Courage players before passing to Ally Watt, who tucked her shot around goalkeeper Casey Murphy.

“One thing I know, if Barbra’s running toward the goal, you better be up there with her,” Watt said. “She played a beautifully weighted ball into my run, and I knew I had to put it on goal, put it on frame, so I just did that. It was probably one of my easier goals I’ve scored. So, yeah, Barbra played an amazing ball in.”  

Watt returned the favor in the 40th minute, crossing a ball from the left that an unmarked Banda redirected into the net.

“They’re two fast forwards,” coach Seb Hines said. “Anytime you have a striker partnership where they’re both fast and threatening in behind, it can be dangerous. We felt today, going into the game, that there might be an area that we can exploit. With North Carolina, they like to high press, be really aggressive in those positions, so to have two outlets with both Ally and Barbra was a joy to watch. I’m glad they executed the game plan, and maybe we do that again somewhere down the line, but overall, just pleased that they managed to score the goals.”

Right before halftime, Banda got around the Courage defense again and had her shot pushed away by Murphy, but Julie Doyle pounced on the rebound for a 3-0 halftime lead.

Banda wove through several Courage defenders to score her second goal in the 77th minute. The Zambian forward now has three goals and two assists in her first two starts.

The Courage (4-3-0) didn’t have a single shot on target but forced an own goal in the second half.

The Pride’s next game is at 6 p.m. Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium.