Orlando Pride win NWSL Shield for first time in franchise history

The Orlando Pride won their first-ever NWSL Shield with a 2-0 defeat of the Washington Spirit on Sunday.

Marta scored in the 57th minute from a penalty after Spirit defender Tara McKeown received a yellow card for knocking over Pride forward Barbra Banda in the box. It marked Marta’s eighth goal of the season.

IT HAD TO BE MARTA 🎯 pic.twitter.com/mJS6dXvzDw

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 6, 2024

Orlando doubled its lead in the 73rd minute as Adriana’s shot deflected off McKeown and caught goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury going in the wrong direction.

The Pride won at home in the rain in front of 7,729 fans, and league commissioner Jessica Berman presented the club with the newly redesigned Shield trophy created by Tiffany & Co.

The Spirit were without several key starters for the game due to a combination of injuries and yellow card suspension. Trinity Rodman, Ouleye Sarr, Casey Krueger, Leicy Santos, and Hal Hershfelt were unavailable for the game.

The Pride have surged this year to an undefeated run, clinching the shield with 57 points in 23 games. They were the first team to qualify for playoffs as well in early September, earning their first postseason appearance since 2017. The team hit their lowest ranking in the standings ever in 2022, finishing 10th out of 12 teams, before beginning a rebuild in 2023 under coach Seb Hines, who was promoted from interim after taking over from Amanda Cromwell mid-season in 2022, and new general manager Haley Carter. In 2024, they paid the second-highest transfer fee at that time for the rights to Zambian international Barbra Banda, who has 13 goals for the season.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, NWSL

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