KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute to give the Orlando Pride their first National Women's Soccer League championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night.
Banda dribbled his way into the right side of the box, evaded a defender and kicked the ball to the ground with his left foot, past the goalkeeper. She became the first player in the NWSL to score in each round of the playoffs.
Pride's Angelina was almost called for a push before passing to Banda, but VAR ruled the play was fair.
The Spirit (20-7-2) controlled the game, outscoring the Pride 25-9, hitting two more shots on goal and possessing the ball 58 percent of the time. Rosemond Kouassi gave Washington its best chance in the 47th minute, heading the ball from about 10 yards out.
Orlando's victory gave Brazilian star Marta her first NWSL title.
Top-seeded Orlando (21-6-2) went undefeated in its first 23 games, a league record. They defeated Kansas City Current in the semifinals and hoisted the trophy at their home stadium, CPKC Stadium.
Orlando became the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and title in the same year.
Washington had won each of its previous five playoff games despite falling behind in the first half, but this loss ended that winning streak.
