ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2026) – The Orlando Pride (9-12-2, 29 points) earned a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash (7-11-5, 26 points) on Sunday night at Inter.co Stadium, marking their fifth consecutive win over Houston in matches played at home.
After controlling much of the opening stages, the Pride pulled ahead in the 14th minute through an own goal. Barbra Banda drove toward the endline before playing a ball across goal that was deflected by Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell, and the loose rebound ricocheted off defender Leah Klenke and into the back of the net.
Thirty minutes later, Summer Yates drew a penalty after being brought down inside the box. Banda stepped up to the spot and calmly converted the first penalty kick of her NWSL career to double Orlando's lead and send the Pride into halftime with a two-goal advantage. The strike marked the Zambia international's 14th goal of the season, setting a new club record for the most goals scored by an individual player in a single NWSL season.
In the 63rd minute, the Pride extended their lead through Haley McCutcheon. The midfielder played a one-two with Banda before unleashing a left-footed volley from just inside the box into the top corner. The goal marked McCutcheon's fourth of the 2026 campaign and established a new single-season career high for the midfielder.
Scoring Summary:
14’ Leah Klenke (Own Goal) – ORL 1, HOU 0
44’ Barbra Banda (Penalty Kick) – ORL 2, HOU 0
63’ Haley McCutcheon (Barbra Banda) – ORL 3, HOU 0
72’ Kiki Van Zanten – ORL 3, HOU 1
Interim Head Coach Yolanda Thomas:
“There was not a single member of staff that either works in our environment in our building or in our front office that was not involved in making this happen. The togetherness was incredible, the willingness to step up to the plate and kind of do what needed to be done, on all fronts, whether that was tactical or ops or media or just being a shoulder to lean on, really, it was truly amazing to see people come together in really difficult circumstances and while dealing with kind of personal loss because we were all individually affected personally, while we recognize that have a job to do. So, it was really neat to kind of watch that happen.”
Orlando Pride Midfielder Haley McCutcheon:
“I think that we did exactly what we wanted to do. We came out strong. [Yolanda Thomas] really stressed our defensive principles in shape and pressing, and so, I think we executed and kind of gave them nothing. So we're really happy and I think that looked like the old Orland Pride.”
Match Notes:
- Barbra Banda’s converted penalty kick in the 44th minute marked her 14th goal of the season, setting a new club record for most goals scored in a single NWSL season by an individual player.
- Banda's strike made her just the fifth player in NWSL history to net double-digit goals at home in a single season.
- Haley McCutcheon’s strike in the 63rd minute marked her fourth goal of the season, setting a new single-season career high.
- Banda's assist on McCutcheon's goal marked her fourth goal contribution over the Pride's last three matches (2g, 2a).
- Forward Sanne Lekven made her Orlando Pride debut after entering as a second-half substitute.
- Interim Head Coach Yolanda Thomas made one change to the starting lineup since the Club’s last match against the Utah Royals, with Hannah Anderson entering the starting XI.
- Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), Kerry Abello (thigh), Julie Doyle (knee) and Rafaelle (head) missed the match.
Next Match:
The Pride will now travel to Kansas City to take on the Kansas City Current on Friday, Sept. 11, at CPKC Stadium (8 p.m. ET | Prime Video).
