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Jeff Kassouf
Multiple Authors
In a thrilling match on Friday, Orlando Pride‘s forward Barbra Banda scored two goals and provided an assist in their 3-1 victory over Bay FC. Unfortunately, Banda sustained an injury in the final moments of the match.
Following the game, Pride head coach Seb Hines expressed uncertainty about the severity of Banda’s injury.
Banda appeared to pull up in pain while challenging for the ball near the sideline, and it remains unclear if she made contact with a rival player. She sat on the field, visibly distressed, covering her face with her hands and later her jersey.
The Pride were unable to make additional substitutions and completed the match with just 10 players.
Banda opened the scoring just four minutes into the match and netted another goal shortly after halftime, bringing her tally to 11 goals in 12 games. North Carolina Courage‘s Ashley Sanchez trails behind with seven goals in the Golden Boot race.
“Barbs has been phenomenal,” said Pride defender Cori Dyke, who contributed the Pride’s third goal. “She consistently poses a threat for us up front and has been delivering in every match. I’m really proud of her performance tonight and those two goals.”
The NWSL will take a break for the 2026 Men’s World Cup throughout June. Orlando’s next game is scheduled for July 3 against Angel City FC.
Banda missed nearly half of the 2025 season due to a hip adductor injury in August but made her comeback at the start of this season in March.
In her debut NWSL season in 2024, Banda tallied 13 goals in the regular season and four more in the playoffs, including the decisive goal that led Orlando to victory against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship, where she was named MVP.
Last season, she recorded eight goals in 16 appearances before suffering an injury.
“We always knew she was a goal-scorer when she joined our club and the league, but she has displayed various levels and styles of finishing,” Hines remarked post-match. “She’s eager to perform. It’s been a long road for her after missing the latter half of last year, and you can see that determination in her play.”
Banda received nominations for the Ballon d’Or in both 2024 and 2025. She has been representing Zambia on the national team since 2016, with impressive performances, including hat tricks in the Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Games last year.