KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Barbara Banda scored in the 37th minute to give the Orlando Pride its first women's soccer national championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night.
Banda dribbled down the right side of the penalty area and went past a defender before shooting the ball on the ground with her left foot and past the goalkeeper. She became the first NFL player to score in every round of the playoffs.
Pride's Angelina almost pushed the ball over before passing it to Banda, but the VAR decided it was fair play.
The Spirit (20-7-2) dominated the game, outscoring the Pride 25-9, putting up two more shots on goal and possessing the ball 58% of the time. Rosemond Kouassi had Washington's best chance in the 47th minute when she headed home a shot from about 10 yards out.
Orlando's win gave Brazilian star Marta her first NRL title.
Top-seeded Orlando (21-6-2) has not lost in its first 23 games, a league record. They beat Kansas City Current in the semifinals before lifting the trophy at CPKC Stadium, their home stadium.
Orlando is the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and the title in the same year.
Washington has won its last five playoff games while trailing at halftime, but that streak was broken with this loss.
