Barbra Banda Scores Late Game Winner as Pride Beat the Courage, 1-0
NWSL Orlando Pride

Barbra Banda Scores Late Game Winner as Pride Beat the Courage, 1-0

Published on May 8, 2026 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Orlando Pride News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando Pride (3-3-2, 11 points) defeated the North Carolina Courage (2-3-3, 9 points) via a 1-0 scoreline on Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal of the match, netting the game winner in the 87th minute.

The first half was evenly played with both teams struggling to create good chances as the Pride forced a couple of good saves from the Courage goalkeeper. Just minutes before the final whistle, the Pride broke through in the 87th minute, as Banda fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the box into the bottom-right corner to seal the victory. Rafaelle earned the assist, now having tallied a helper in two consecutive matches.

The match winner served as the league-leading eighth goal of the season for the Pride's No. 11 and was also the first goal scored against the Courage in the second half this season. It is also the fourth goal the Pride has scored in the final 15 minutes of a match this season, the most by any NWSL team.

The backline held firm all night with Anna Moorhouse only having to make one save. This is the third clean sheet of the season for the Pride and the 30th regular season clean sheet for Moorhouse, becoming just the eighth goalkeeper in NWSL history to reach the milestone.

Goal Highlights:

87' Barbra Banda (Rafaelle) - ORL 1, NC 0

Head Coach Seb Hines

"Happy to get the result, happy to get the clean sheet. You know, a one-nil victory is getting back to who we are as a team, being hard to play against. Defensively, we looked a lot more solid than we did last week. And yeah, it took a moment of brilliance from Barbra [Banda], and I'm happy to see the ball hit the back of the net."

Match Notes:

Barbra Banda scored her eighth goal of the season, which leads the NWSL.

Banda has now scored in three straight games, totaling five goals during that stretch.

Rafaelle earned the assist on the Banda finish, serving as her second of the season in as many games.

Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse collected her third clean sheet of the season and the 30th regular season shutout of her career.

Moorhouse becomes just the eighth goalkeeper in NWSL history to achieve 30 regular season clean sheets.

The Pride have now avoided defeat in their last 36 straight matches when scoring the first goal in NWSL regular season play.

Banda's game winning goal is the fourth goal in the last 15 minutes of the second half for the Pride, more than any other team this year. Next Match:

The Pride will open a three-game road trip in Boston, where they will face Boston Legacy FC. The match will stream on Victory+ and is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium.

Teams 1 2 F

Orlando Pride 0 1 1

North Carolina Courage 0 0 0 Scoring Summary:

ORL - Barbra Banda (Rafaelle) 87'

Misconduct Summary:

ORL - Summer Yates (Yellow Card) 21'

ORL - Oihane (Yellow Card) 45+3'

ORL - Ally Lemos (Yellow Card) 45+5'

NC - Dani Weatherholt (Yellow Card) 50'

ORL - Rafaelle (Yellow Card) 90+7'

Lineups/Substitutions

Orlando Pride âˆ' GK Anna Moorhouse; D Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, Oihane; M Ally Lemos (Julie Doyle 64'), Hayley McCutcheon (c), Angelina (Luana 84'); F Barbra Banda, Solai Washington (Sevin Castain 55'), Summer Yates (Marta 55')

Substitutes not used: GK McKinley Crone; D Nicole Payne; F Simone Jackson, Reagan Raabe

North Carolina Courage - GK Kailen Sheridan (c); D Natalia Staude, Ryan Williams, Uno Shiragaki; M Riley Jackson (Carly Wickenheiser 77'), Dani Weatherholt, Shinomi Koyama, Manaka Matsukubo; F Ashley Sanchez, Lauryn Thompson (Chioma Okafor 70'), Evelyn Ijeh (Ally Schlegel 70')

Substitutes not used: GK Molly Pritchard; D Sydney Schmidt, Cameron Brooks, Ivy Younce; M Cortnee Vine, Hannah Betfort

Details of the Game:

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Weather: Rain

Date: May 8, 2026

Attendance: 7,088

Stats:

Possession:

ORL - 44%

NC - 56%

Shots:

ORL - 9

NC - 12

Shots on Goal:

ORL - 2

NC - 1

Saves:

ORL - 1

NC - 1

Fouls:

ORL - 15

NC - 15

Offsides:

ORL - 1

NC - 2

Corners:

ORL - 5

NC - 4

Heineken Star of the Match: Barbra Banda

Check out the Orlando Pride Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 8, 2026


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