The Orlando Pride lost 2-1 to the Utah Royals on Saturday night at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, after Utah scored twice in the second half.
Orlando Pride took a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute when Summer Yates assisted Barbra Banda. Banda scored her 13th regular-season goal of 2026, equaling her single-season career high and the Orlando Pride single-season record. The assist was Yates’ second of the 2026 campaign.
Cloe Lacasse tied the match for the Utah Royals in the 50th minute, with Kiana Palacios credited with the assist. Paige Cronin then scored in the 69th minute on an assist from Lacasse to give Utah the lead. Orlando Pride could not find an equalizer.
Barbra Banda reaches Orlando Pride milestone
Banda is one goal away from breaking the Orlando Pride record for most goals in a regular season. Marta set the record in 2017, and Banda equaled it in 2024.
Gabi Nunes made her home debut for Orlando Pride as a second-half substitute. Head coach Seb Hines made one change to the starting lineup from the team’s previous match against the Washington Spirit, with Yates entering the starting XI.
“The first half, we were all right. We created some good opportunities and took the lead. Going into the second half, we felt we needed to put a little more pressure on the ball and not allow Utah to gain too much territory. We were half a step off, and they were able to carve us open and get that goal. I’m disappointed to sit here and say there’s another defeat at home in front of our fans. Our fans are terrific and really supportive, rain or shine. They always turn up, and we need to get the results they deserve. We need to turn it around here at home,” Hines said.
“I thought it was a tough one, obviously. We never want to lose at home. But I thought we came out and executed the game plan in the first half, and obviously, letting two goals in when we had a lead is just not what we expect at home. Not our best performance, but we’re hoping to learn from it,” Yates said.
“Utah’s a great team. They have a lot of great pieces, so for us, it’s just about staying fully switched on throughout all 90 minutes. Not really taking any time to buffer. I think we just weren’t really ready for the energy they brought, and we need to do better. That’s on us, but the fight we brought after we got scored on was great. It’s just a tough result,” Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos said.
Orlando Pride to host Houston Dash
Orlando Pride entered the match with an 8-12-2 record and 26 points. The Utah Royals entered with a 12-7-3 record and 39 points.
Kylie Nadaner missed the match while on maternity leave. Viviana Villacorta and Julie Doyle missed the match with knee issues, Kerry Abello missed the match with a thigh issue, and Solai Washington and Zoe Matthews missed the match with head issues. Marta was absent because of an excused absence.
Orlando Pride will host the Houston Dash on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Inter.co Stadium. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be available on the Roku Channel.
Source: Original report