Barbra Banda scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the Orlando Pride’s 3-1 victory at home over Bay FC on Friday night.
In the only other match in the National Women’s Soccer League on the night, the Denver Summit defeated Racing Louisville 1-0.
Banda leads the league with nine goals for the Pride (5-5-2), but she was injured late in the match while running after the ball. The nature of the injury was not clear.
After a lightning delay for an hour, Banda scored just three minutes into the match for Orlando’s fastest goal of the season.
Some three minutes later Caroline Conti scored for Bay with a low shot into the far corner. It was her first of the season.
Banda scored her second goal in the 50th minute to pull Orlando in front, before feeding Cori Dyke the ball on her goal from the top of the box four minutes later.
Bay (3-6-2) has lost three straight matches. Goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and defender Aldana Cometti served one-game suspensions after receiving red cards Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Stars.
Colorado native Brazier scores 1st goal for Denver
Ally Brazier, the expansion Summit’s first signing, scored her first goal of the season in the 64th minute to break a stalemate on the road with Racing.
A Colorado native, Brazier scored a sliding goal off an assists from Yuzuki Yamamoto. Denver (4-4-3) has won three of its last four.
All eight of last-place Racing’s losses have been by a single goal.
Goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska got her first start for Louisville (2-8-1). She made her NWSL debut last week against the North Carolina Courage when she was pressed into duty for injured starter Jordyn Bloomer in the first half.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
