Barbra Banda scores 2 goals as Orlando Pride win 8th straight, 2-1 over Portland
By SUSIE RANTZ
Associated Press
Barbra Banda scored two goals and the Orlando Pride beat the Portland Thorns 2-1 on Friday night at Inter&Co Stadium to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Banda now has eight goals in six National Women’s Soccer League starts, and the first-place Pride (8-0-3) became the first team in league history to win eight matches in a row.
Banda headed in a rebound off a corner kick in the 30th minute. She scored her second goal in transition in the 40th minute, dribbling by her defender and goalkeeper Shelby Hogan before shooting into an open net.
Izzy D’Aquila, scoring her first NWSL goal, got one back for Portland in the 71st minute, collecting a cutback pass from Olivia Moultrie and finishing from close range.
Moultrie became the youngest player in league history to record 10 assists in all competitions.
Portland (6-4-1) pushed for an equalizer and had a header go off the bar, but the Pride held on.
The match was the first in NWSL history between teams on winning streaks of four or more games.
SPIRIT 3, REIGN 2
Croix Bethune had a goal and an assist as the Washington Spirit won for the fourth time in five games, 3-2 over the Seattle Reign.
The Spirit (8-3-0) opened the scoring in the 21st minute at Audi Field in Washington. Ouleymata Sarr flicked the ball to Bethune, who beat her defender and slipped her shot into the left corner.
Andi Sullivan buried a penalty kick in the 39th minute, and Bethune crossed to an open Sarr to make it 3-0 minutes later.
Bethune now has four goals and a league-leading eight assists.
Veronica Latsko headed in Phoebe McClernon’s cross to get one goal for the Reign (2-8-1) just before halftime.
Emeri Adames volleyed in a shot for her first professional goal just before the final whistle.
DASH 3, COURAGE 0
Diana Ordonez’s goal capped Houston’s 3-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage, the Dash’s first win of the season at Houston’s Shell Energy Stadium.
Ramona Bachmann scored her first NWSL goal just before halftime, putting Houston (3-5-3) up with a shot into the left corner. Avery Patterson assisted with a cutback pass, earning her first NWSL assist.
Bárbara Olivieri received a similar pass from Michelle Alozie in the 68th minute and scored into the upper left corner.
Alozie’s attempt was stopped by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy, and Ordonez pounced on the rebound for the final goal in the 78th minute.
Murphy made three saves for the Courage (5-6-0), including her 300th NWSL regular-season save.
GOTHAM FC 2, BAY FC 0
Ella Stevens scored a pair of goals in the space of two minutes and Gotham FC extended its unbeaten streak to six games with a 2-0 win over Bay FC at San Jose’s PayPal Park.
Gotham (5-2-3) took the lead in the 31st minute when Stevens scored off Esther’s cross.
Stevens scored again in the 33rd when Bay FC goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland struggled to get the ball up field and Stevens maneuvered around her for the goal.
Stevens has scored in three straight games and has five goals overall this season for the defending champions.
Bay FC fell to 4-8-0.
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