ORLANDO, Fla. (May 2, 2026) – Orlando Pride (2-3-2, 8 points) fell 4-2 to the Washington Spirit (4-1-3, 15 points) on Saturday evening at Inter&Co Stadium. The match played following a lengthy delay due to inclement weather.
In just the second minute, Sofia Cantore struck first for the visitors with a long-range finish to open the scoring, with Trinity Rodman earning an assist on the finish. On the other end, Solai Washington rattled the post for the Pride in the sixth minute, but it was Cantore who doubled the Spirit’s lead moments later. Another pass from Rodman played the forward through on goal, where she rounded the keeper and calmly finished into the back of the net.
Rafaelle recorded her first assist for the Pride in the 33rd minute, after Ally Lemos delivered a corner that found the head of Rafaelle who headed it down to Barbra Banda. Banda then turned and finished a six-yard volley in the box to put the Pride back in the match. The goal marked Banda’s club-record fifth career goal from a corner in the NWSL.
Just six minutes later, Banda doubled her tally to level the match. Oihane’s low cross found the Pride’s No. 11 once more in the six-yard box, where she turned in traffic and fired the ball into the back of the net to bring Orlando back into the game. The brace marked Banda’s seventh all-time in regular-season play, tying her for the third-most for a single club alongside former Chicago Stars player Sam Kerr and Esther for Gotham.
After the break, the visitors regained control and pulled away with a pair of counterattacking goals in the 55th and 70th minutes, as Claudia Martínez and Trinity Rodman found the net to seal the match.
Scoring Summary:
2’ Sofia Cantore (Trinity Rodman) – WAS 1, ORL 0
6’ Sofia Cantore (Trinity Rodman) – WAS 2, ORL 0
33’ Barbra Banda (Rafaelle) – WAS 2, ORL 1
39’ Barbra Banda (Oihane) - ORL 2, WAS 2
55’ Claudia Martinez (Leicy Santos) - ORL 3, WAS 2
70’ Trinity Rodman (Rosemonde Kouassi) – WAS 4, ORL 2
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Frustrating. Obviously we don't like losing, and we don't like conceding four goals, especially at home. Really disappointed with the result. There were some good moments, but it wasn't enough tonight.”
Match Notes:
- Barbra Banda scored her league-leading sixth and seventh goals.
- Banda recorded her seventh regular season NWSL brace and her second in 2026, with the previous coming in the team’s last match.
- Oihane earned her first assist of the season on Banda’s second goal and her third with the Pride across all competitions during her tenure in Orlando.
- Defender Rafaelle earned her first assist of the season and her first while donning the Pride kit on Banda’s first goal.
- Nicole Payne made her Orlando Pride debut, entering the match as a second-half substitute.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made one adjustment to the Pride lineup since their previous match at Racing Louisville FC, with Forward Summer Yates entering the starting XI.
Next Match:
The Pride will remain in the City Beautiful as they face the North Carolina Courage on Friday, May 8 at Inter&Co Stadium. The match is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on Prime Video.
