Orlando Pride Wins First NWSL Playoff Game with 4-1 Win Over Chicago | Barbra Banda scored a Brace [J4cF3gf9G49]
The No. 1 Orlando Pride defeated No. 8 Chicago Red Stars by a 4-1 scoreline on Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The win is the Pride’s first-ever NWSL playoff victory as the team will move onto the semifinal round which will also be hosted at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride will now look ahead to the semifinal match that will be next weekend on either Saturday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. ET or Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at Inter&Co Stadium. Haley McCutcheon opened the scoring for the Pride in the first half, which was her first goal of the season. It was also her first goal since April of the 2023 season, both of which were headers. The goal also served as the Pride’s first-ever home playoff goal in Club history. The Pride were also backed by a brace from Barbra Banda on the night. The brace served as her 14th and 15th goals of the season across all competitions and was the first-ever brace in the NWSL Quarterfinals. Marta ended the Pride scoring with a finish from the penalty spot. The penalty was given via video review after Barbra Banda was taken down in the box, her fourth penalty earned in all competitions this season, all of which have resulted in goals. For Marta, it was her 10th goal of the 2024 season across all competitions and her first NWSL playoff goal. Head Coach Seb Hines: “Brilliant. They were brilliant from start to finish. We started the game really well, created two great opportunities within the first two minutes. You could see the hunger within the team, you could see the commitment and [it was] fully deserved, I think we were phenomenal today.” Tale of the tape: 0:00 Barbra Banda spoke on how important was win against Chicago and how focused this team is on winning a trophy for Orlando: 1:30 Haley McCutcheon spoke on how Orlando Pride’s defense was an important part of on winning the shield and reaching playoffs: 6:13 Seb Hines praised the Orlando Pride and mentioned the importance of having the fans supporting them in massive numbers this season: 14:32 📹 Orlando Pride #orlandopride #nwsl #nwslplayoffs #chicagoredstars #chicago #soccer #orlando