1. A win is a win. After 87 minutes of scoreless soccer, Barbra Banda broke through the North Carolina Courage defense to score a massive goal to get all three points for the Orlando Pride on Survivor Night.
2. Things started with a bit of a shift in the defensive line. Cori Dyke moved over to centerback, Hailie Mace moved out wide to right back, and Oihane switched sides to left back. It was a small shakeup, but one that ended up paying dividends for the team.
3. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines added context after the game, saying, "We just felt we needed to shift a little bit, not change the personnel, but shift the personnel within the shape. And I thought they did a terrific job today."
4. The first half came and went without any major scoring chances. By the end of the first half, neither team had an expected goal over 0.16, with a corner from Rafaelle yielding the best chance of that first 45 minutes.
5. The rain started coming down about halfway through the first half, turning into a torrential downpour by the 32nd minute. From that point until halftime, the game got sloppy, with both teams seemingly trying to see out the final few minutes to hopefully get out of the rain.
6. As the second half started, the defense continued to hold firm. One of the biggest talking points over the last two matches was how the team came out of the locker room to begin the half, and that was evident on the performance. After the game, Angelina mentioned that those halftime conversations were simple: "Just be switched on."
7. As the game wound down, it looked like the stalemate may continue through to full time, but naturally, Banda had other ideas. A ball in the backline cleared upfield by Rafaelle in the 87th minute found Banda in space, kept onside by the defense. After settling the ball down, Banda drove into the box and fired a shot from a tough angle. As it curled toward goal, it took a bounce on the pitch, getting around Kailen Sheridan and finding the back of the net and giving the Pride the late immunity and lead.
8. After a long stoppage time dragged on past 10 minutes, the defense was able to continue to hold firm and secure the three points at home. It was the first shutout for Orlando since the end of March, a 0-0 draw on the road against Gotham FC.
9. The Pride will now head right to Boston, where they'll take on the new expansion side Boston Legacy on Tuesday night. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Victory+.
