Orlando Pride advance to the National Women's Soccer League championship
ORLANDO, Fla. - Barbra Banda scored the go-ahead goal and the Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 on Sunday to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game.
The Pride will face the Washington Spirit on Saturday for the league title at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. The Spirit advanced to the final on a penalty shootout with a 1-1 draw against defending champions Gotham FC in the other semifinal, on Saturday.
Haley McCutcheon and the legendary Marta also scored for top-seeded Orlando, which lost just two games this season and won the NWSL Shield. The Pride didn’t lose at home all season.
The Pride advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win last weekend over the Chicago Red Stars, which was the Pride’s first playoff victory. Banda had two goals and Marta converted a penalty.
Orlando Pride player Haley McCutcheon is hoisted in the air by teammates after winning against the Kansas City Current during the NWSL soccer playoff match at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. Orlando won the mat
NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal in the fourth-seeded Current’s 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage to advance to the semifinals.
Chawinga got through a full practice for the Current on Friday, but coach Vlatko Andonovski was uncertain how much she could play on Sunday because of a lingering knee issue. Chawinga, who had 20 goals this season, started and played the entire game.