NWSL has a new champion after the Orlando Pride knocked off the Washington Spirit in the final Saturday evening, capping off a historic season for the Pride with their first ever NWSL title.
Scorers: Banda 37′
After finishing top-two in the regular season, it was fitting that the Pride and the Spirt would meet in the final, and the title game lived up to the billing.
The scoring was opened by the likeliest of sources, Orlando’s superstar forward Barbra Banda, who collected the ball out wide before cutting in and firing home.
The Spirit had chances of their own, but Anna Moorhouse was heroic in the Orlando net, making a bundle of superb saves to keep her side ahead in the second-half.
Marta remained a threat for the Pride as they pushed for the final nail in the Spirit coffin, but the lone Banda goal was all the Florida club needed to wrap up their first NWSL title, and they do so after winning their first NWSL Shield in the regular season.
© Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images