Barbra Banda scored on a penalty kick to extend her Orlando Pride single-season scoring record, but Orlando fell 2-1 to San Diego Wave FC on Friday night at Inter.co Stadium.
Orlando Pride entered the match with a 10-14-3 record and 33 points, while San Diego Wave FC came in at 16-8-3 with 51 points. San Diego took control early, scoring in the fourth minute and adding another goal in the 22nd minute.
San Diego Takes Early Advantage
Lia Godfrey opened the scoring in the fourth minute for San Diego Wave FC. She received the ball on the left side of the box, moved toward the middle and finished with a right-footed shot.
San Diego doubled its lead in the 22nd minute after a defensive turnover in Orlando’s box. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Cosette Morché made an initial double save before the rebound was finished from close range.
The source match report’s narrative credits Lia Corley with the second goal, while the official scoring summary lists Gia Corley. The scoring summary recorded the goal as San Diego 2, Orlando 0.
Banda Pulls Orlando Within One Goal
Barbra Banda cut the deficit in half in the 52nd minute after she was fouled inside the box. She converted the penalty kick for her team-leading 17th goal of the 2026 season.
The goal extended Banda’s Orlando Pride club record for goals in a single campaign and marked her first career goal against San Diego Wave FC. Her 17 goals tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in NWSL history and made 2026 the fifth season in league history in which a player scored at least 17 goals.
Banda also has 21 goal contributions this season, including 17 goals and four assists. That total is tied for fifth-most in a single NWSL season.
Orlando Addresses Slow Start
Interim head coach Yolanda Thomas made three changes to the Orlando Pride starting lineup, with Ally Lemos, Hannah Anderson and Jacquie Ovalle entering the starting XI. Kylie Nadaner missed the match while on maternity leave.
Thomas said Orlando had to overcome the early deficit but praised the team’s effort after halftime.
“Tough result for where we are. We gift them a goal early on and then we’re kind of having to dig ourselves out, but I think there were some moments early in the game where we didn’t really control the momentum, or we weren’t given the opportunity to control the momentum. Really proud of the effort, the heart, the commitment to go get ourselves back in the game. Unfortunately, didn’t get us all the way back.”
Orlando Pride forward Summer Yates also pointed to the opening minutes as an area for improvement.
“It seems like we either have really good or really bad starts. For us, a big focus is our ‘Big Five Moments,’ and that’s just taking care of business in the first five minutes. We wanted to press them from the very beginning. I don’t know if it’s just a lack of focus, but that’s obviously not what we want. We want to score, take the lead and defend our house.”
What Comes Next
Orlando Pride will return from the international-window pause on Sunday, Oct. 18, against Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET and will be available on CBS Sports.
FSB Take
San Diego Wave FC’s early goals put Orlando Pride in a difficult position before Banda’s penalty kick gave the home team a second-half opening. Banda’s 17th goal extended her club record and placed her among the NWSL’s most productive single-season scorers, but Orlando could not complete the comeback.
The Pride now face an international-window pause before traveling to meet Houston Dash on Oct. 18. Orlando’s response to the early deficit and its start against Houston will be the next focus after the loss.
Source: Original report