1. Back like they never left. The Orlando Pride pulled out their most dominant performance to start a regular season, with five players getting on the scoresheet en route to a 6-0 win.
2. A number of firsts happened tonight, but the most important was the win itself. This is the first win on opening day for the Pride, ever. There were many a draws and a few losses away from home to start a season, but there has never been a result like this to begin a year like the one tonight.
3. Tonight was also a special one for what happened before the game. Both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship banners took their rightful places above The Wall. It was a special moment for the team, who were able to celebrate the moment with the fans in attendance.
4. To kick off the game, Haley McCutcheon decided to keep on her scoring boots from last season and bang in the opener just six minutes into the match. It was the fastest goal in a Pride home-opening match and the first goal of 2025 for the Pride. It's also McCutcheon's third goal in her last five games, carrying over from her two playoff goals last season. After the match, she said that she wanted to get more involved in the offense, and boy, did it pay off tonight.
5. Shoutout Ally Watt! As the Pride continued through the first half, dominating the possession, they finally got their second goal of the night. Off a corner from Marta, Watt rose up above the defense and nodded in the second of the night. In her postgame presser, Watt talked about the importance of set pieces to the team, of which they had 12 corners on the night. There's a high likelihood of that trend continuing, so the Pride being able to score consistently off dead-ball situations will be crucial this season.
6. One minute and 56 seconds. That's all the time it took for Julie Doyle to get on the scoresheet. Some individual brilliance from Barbra Banda created space, as a cross across the box found Doyle ghosting into the box to finish far post. It was a perfect team goal from the Pride that made the game 4-0 at that point. Unfortunately for Doyle, she was forced off the pitch nine minutes later due to an injury.
7. Barbra Banda. That's it. There's only so much more that can be said about the best goalscorer on the Pride, but game after game, she continues to produce jaw-dropping moments. Her first goal came from sheer will to get through the defense and score near post past Alyssa Naeher, but her second goal was just absolutely audacious. Picking up the ball from 30 yards out off a turnover, the Stars gave her space and time to rip a shot from 26 yards away, which she scored with aplomb. Oh, and that goal had a whopping 0.035 xG, which is the lowest expected goal of the night for a shot on target.
8. With all the goals the Pride scored on the night, they officially broke the most goals scored in a season opener and tied their most goals scored in a single game, a record they set last year against the Utah Royals. It's a statement victory for this team that is going out to prove that they are not just one-season wonders. They are as legit as they come.
9. The Pride now head on the road to New Jersey to face NJ/NY Gotham FC next weekend. That match will be on ESPN 2 on Sunday, March 23 at 5 p.m. ET.
