Barbara Banda scored two goals and OrlandoPride opened the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs on Friday night with a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Red Stars. Marta (and McCutcheon) also scored for the Pride, who won a playoff game for the first time in franchise history. They will now face the winner of the game between Kansas City Current and North Carolina Courage this Saturday in the semifinals.
“I’m looking forward to the next game and more goals,” said Banda, who has missed the playoffs for the past five seasons. The Pride finished atop the standings and won the NWSL Shield for the best regular season record. Orlando scored a league-high 60 points and Banda added a team-high 13 goals.
The Red Stars (10-14-2) finished eighth in the regular standings to earn the final playoff spot. They finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
