1. A new era for the Orlando Pride! A massive three points at home for Orlando, as they take down the Houston Dash 3-1, marking their first win of September.
2. The win also marks the first under Interim Head Coach Yolanda Thomas, who took over the team on Tuesday. It's the first win for a Pride interim manager in their first match in charge in Club history.
3. From kickoff, after a 90-minute delay from weather (in typical Florida fashion), the Pride looked to be on the front foot. They were aggressive, putting pressure on Houston's backline and created multiple chances just within the first 10 minutes of the match.
4. That pressure led to the breakthrough in the 14th minute. After Barbra Banda got down the left side and threaded a cross into the box, Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell made the initial save, but pushed the ball right into the path of her own defender, Leah Klenke. The Dash centerback couldn't get out of the way in time and hit it into her own net, putting the Pride on the board.
5. The Pride continued a dominant showing through the half, creating three more solid chances, before the half started to wear down. After Ally Lemos played Summer Yates into space in the 42nd mintue, the Pride forward drove into the box and was tripped up by Klenke, the own-goal scorer, while inside the box. The referee didn't hesitate as he pointed to the penalty spot. A minute later, up stepped Barbra Banda to take the penalty, slotting it past Jane Campbell to double the Pride's lead.
6. Not only was the penalty the first ever for Banda in a Pride uniform, but the goal marked her 14th of 2026, setting the single-season Club record for goals in a season. The milestone supplanted her own mark set in 2024, which was tied with Marta's 2017 record, and there are still seven matches left in the season.
7. To put the cherry on top, 18 minutes into the second half, Haley McCutcheon produced a worldie. On the counter-attack alongside Barbra Banda, the captain drove into the box with Banda on the wing. After Banda played her the ball, Haley chipped the ball up in the air with her left, stepped into a shot as the ball was bouncing, and volleyed the ball into the top corner of the net.
8. The match also saw the debut of Norwegian forward Sanne Lekven, who came on in the 78th minute. She showed some glimpses of her talent and after the match, she spoke to media, saying, "Very happy and grateful for getting my debut. Yeah, it was it was hot. I can tell you that it was very hot, but I'm happy for getting my debut."
9. The Pride will now look to take that momentum out on the road to Missouri as they face the Kansas City Current next Friday. That game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
