ORLANDO, Fla. (May 29, 2026) – The Orlando Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) defeated Bay FC (3-6-2, 10 points) 3-1 on Friday night in their final match before the NWSL pauses while the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is staged across North America. Orlando remains unbeaten against Bay FC all-time, now holding a 4-0-1 record against the 2024 expansion side.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute, giving the Pride an early edge. The forward controlled a headed ball from Luana and finished with a composed left-footed strike past a closing defender and over Bay FC goalkeeper Emmie Allen.
The visiting side responded quickly, equalizing just three minutes later through Caroline Conti to level the scoreline heading into the halftime break.
After the restart, Banda restored the Pride’s lead in the 51st minute, finishing a well-weighted through ball from Summer Yates. Timing her run to break behind the back line, the forward forced the goalkeeper off her line before slotting a composed right-footed finish into an open net. The goal marked Banda’s league-leading 11th tally and her third brace of the 2026 campaign.
Four minutes after Banda doubled the lead, defender Cori Dyke added a third, striking from the right edge of the box. Following a throw-in, Banda played the ball to Dyke, setting her up to make it 3-1 and secure the result for the home side. The goal marked Dyke’s first of the 2026 campaign and the second of her NWSL career.
Following the June international break, the Pride will travel to California to face Angel City FC on July 3 at BMO Stadium (10 p.m. ET | Prime Video).
Scoring Summary:
4’ Barbra Banda (Luana) – ORL 1, BAY 0
7’ Caroline Conti – ORL 1, BAY 1
51’ Barbra Banda (Summer Yates) – ORL 2, BAY 1
55’ Cori Dyke (Barbra Banda) – ORL 3, BAY 1
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“No better [birthday] gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans, so credit to the players for putting that performance together. It’s always nice to take the lead early, but there was disappointment with how quickly we conceded after scoring. I thought the first half was fairly even, and I knew we could go to another level. We didn’t quite show that immediately after conceding, but I thought we managed the second half well, possessed the ball better, earned the rewards for it and created some good opportunities. Overall, I’m really pleased to head into the break with three points.”
Match Notes:
- With her two goals tonight, Barbra Banda recorded her NWSL-leading third brace and 11th goal of the 2026 campaign. The brace is her eighth career regular-season brace, which puts her in a tie for third in NWSL history.
- Banda’s match-opening strike in the fourth minute marked the earliest goal the Pride have scored during the season.
- Cori Dyke scored her first goal of the 2026 season and the second of her NWSL career, with her previous tally coming in a June 7, 2025, match against the Houston Dash, which, like tonight, was also a ‘Pride in Our City’ match.
- On Banda’s first goal, midfielder Luana recorded the first assist of her NWSL career, and her first with the Pride.
- Summer Yates tallied her first assist of the 2026 season on Banda’s second strike, bringing her total to seven across all competitions with the Pride.
- Forward Jacquie Ovalle made her return to action for the Pride, making her first appearance since April 4 against Angel City FC after checking in as a second-half substitute.
- Defender Zara Chavoshi made her first appearance of the 2026 campaign for the Pride, entering the game as a second-half substitute.
- Orlando has now scored 18 goals this season, tied with Portland for most in the league before this weekend’s games.
- The Pride have scored in 11 of their 12 games this year, which is the most of any NWSL team. They have also scored in eight consecutive matches, one shy of the club record of nine straight games in 2025.
- With the win, the Pride remain unbeaten against Bay FC all time, now holding a 4-0-1 record.
- Head coach Seb Hines made one change to his Starting XI with Kerry Abello earning her first start of the season.
Next Match:
The Pride will now enter a month-long break as the NWSL pauses its season for the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup, with the Club’s next match taking place on July 3 against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium.
