ORLANDO PRIDE 1-2 UTAH ROYALS
Aug 29, 2026 • Inter.co Stadium
ORLANDO — The Pride returned to the 407 after trips out west to face Portland and Washington, in which they split the games winning one and losing the other. Utah came to Orlando with the same chip on their shoulder, splitting their last 2 games. After a lightning delay derailed the 7:00pm start time we were underway at Inter.Co stadium.
The match had a sluggish start with both clubs jockeying for possession and advantage. A breakthrough came for Orlando in the 43rd minute from their superstar Barbara Banda. She slicked past Mandy Mcglynn and slotted home her 13th goal of the season. She sits at 2nd in the golden boot race in the NWSL behind Ashley Sanchez.
A team like Utah is 3rd in the league for a reason, that 1-0 lead didn't last long. The Royals equalized in the 50th minute with a chip shot over the keeper courtesy of Cloe Lacasse. The class kept rolling for Utah as they found the winning goal in the 69th minute from Paige Cronin. Utah held on till the final whistle blew making it 2-1 Utah Royals.
The woes continue for Orlando putting them at 12th in the NWSL. Not everyday you see a team with such a high level talent in Barabara Banda have such trouble winning matches. The pride hope to find a win in their next matchup against the 11th place Houston Dash on Sunday September 6th in Orlando.
- Jayden Blythe
