Zambian striker Barbra Banda lifted the Orlando Pride to their first NWSL Championship title on Saturday, beating the Washington Spirit 1-0 in Kansas City.
The Pride had only one prior trip to the playoffs but looked like post-season veterans as Banda slipped one past two-time NWSL goalkeeper of the year Aubrey Kingsbury in the 37th minute and a stout Orlando defense extinguished Washington’s chances.
The Spirit lost all four of their regular season meetings with Orlando over the last two years and had not cracked the code this time around, and their frantic attempts late in the match went unrewarded.
The game capped a blockbuster year for the top-flight North American women’s league, which saw record attendance with more than 2m fans coming through the turnstiles during the regular season.
Full report to follow.
