Banda’s goal leads Pride over Spirit 1-0 for NWSL championship
Orlando Pride forward Marta (10) leaps into the air to make a play on a ball in front of Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt, right, during the first half of the NWSL championship at CPKC Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Reed Hoffmann]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute and the Orlando Pride beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 to win their first National Women’s Soccer League championship. Banda dribbled into the right side of the box and made a move past a defender before kicking the ball on the ground with her left foot and past the goalkeeper. She became the first player in the NWSL to score in each of the three rounds of the playoffs. The Pride is the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and win the title in the same year.
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Orlando Pride forwards Marta, center, and Barbra Banda, right, lift the NWSL championship trophy together after defeating the Washington Spirit in an NWSL soccer game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Reed Hoffmann