DENVER, Colo. (May 16, 2026) – The Orlando Pride (3-5-2, 11 points) were defeated by Denver Summit FC (3-3-3, 12 points) via a 3-1 scoreline in the Club's first-ever visit to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.
Denver opened the scoring early when Eva Gaetino crashed in at the far post to finish off a corner kick in the 10th minute of play. The home side doubled its advantage in the 54th minute via a Janine Sonis penalty kick.
Orlando was reduced to 10 players in the 63rd minute after Angelina received a direct red card. Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors pulled a goal back in the 76th minute when Barbra Banda broke through on goal from Haley McCutcheon’s pass and slotted home her league-leading ninth goal of the season.
The Summit responded just a minute later as Sonis tallied her second of the night after capitalizing on a rebound inside the Pride’s box, effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Pride will complete their three-game road trip with a visit to San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 24 (7 p.m. ET; Victory+).
Scoring Summary:
10’ Eva Gaetino – DEN 1, ORL 0
54’ Janine Sonis (Penalty Kick) – DEN 2, ORL 0
76’ Barbra Banda (Haley McCutcheon) – DEN 2, ORL 1
77’ Janine Sonis – DEN 3, ORL 1
Head Coach Seb Hines:
“Frustrating. I sound like a broken record right now. Disappointed with the goal that we conceded, a set piece. We struggled with the way Denver were playing out from the back, playing through the lines. We made some good adjustments at halftime. I thought we started the second half really well. The sending off changes the whole game, but I won’t talk about that. And yeah, we were just battling until the end. There were obviously some gaps that started opening. We put ourselves in a really good position at 2-1 with a lot of time left and then let ourselves down with the third goal. We’ll analyze it and move on. We’ve been on the road now for about a week. It’s not gone our way—we’ve got to bounce back, show some resilience and come out stronger against San Diego.”
Match Notes:
- Barbra Banda scored her ninth goal of the season, which leads the NWSL.
- Haley McCutcheon recorded her second assist of the season on the Banda finish.
- Kerry Abello made her first appearance of the 2026 season after coming on as a second half substitute.
- Head Coach Seb Hines made four changes to his starting XI, with Hannah Anderson, Ally Lemos, Barbra Banda and Seven Castain entering the lineup.
Next Match:
The Pride will complete their three-game road trip with a visit to San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 24 (7 p.m. ET; Victory+).
