Barbra Banda scored two goals and helped create two others as the Orlando Pride turned a productive first half into a 4-1 victory over the visiting North Carolina Courage on Wednesday.
Banda, Ally Watt and Julie Doyle all scored goals in the first half as the Pride (4-0-3, 15 points) remained one of three unbeaten teams in the NWSL. Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was not credited with a save for the Pride.
The Courage (4-3-0, 12 points) received an own goal off a deflection from Haley Hopkins‘ centering pass, while Casey Murphy made five saves.
Banda took the ball from midfield and found Watt for a goal in the 29th minute, then scored in the 40th minute off a feed from Watt. Banda’s shot in the second minute of first-half stoppage time was saved by Murphy, with Doyle scoring off the rebound for a 3-0 lead.
Hopkins’ centering pass in the 52nd minute deflected off Pride defender Emily Sams and into the goal to cut the Courage’s deficit to 3-1. Banda scored her second goal of the game in the 77th minute on a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area.
Banda, who has three goals and two assists in three matches for Orlando, departed in the 82nd minute after taking a blow to her right knee.
Spirit 4, Red Stars 2
Trinity Rodman and Ouleymata Sarr scored goals two minutes apart in the first half and Washington Spirit earned a victory over Chicago Red Stars in Bridgeview, Ill.
Brittany Ratcliffe added two late goals, Croix Bethune had three assists and Aubrey Kingsbury made two saves for the Spirit (5-2-0, 15 points), who have scored multiple goals in six consecutive matches.
Allison Schlegel and Leilanni Nesbeth scored goals for the Red Stars (3-3-1, 10 points), and Alyssa Naeher made one save.
Rodman scored in the 28th minute off a feed from Bethune, her first goal of the season. In the 30th minute, Rodman added an assist on a goal by Sarr, who scored with her right foot.
Schlegel scored in the 79th minute, her third tally of the season, to bring Chicago within a goal, but Ratcliffe scored in the 83rd and 86th minutes on feeds from Bethune. Sarr, Bethune and Ratcliffe are tied for the team lead with three goals apiece.
Nesbeth scored her first career NWSL goal for Chicago in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
Thorns 3, Bay FC 2
Sophia Smith had two goals, including the go-ahead score in the 78th minute, as visiting Portland Thorns edged Bay FC at San Jose.
Payton Linnehan scored in the second minute and Shelby Hogan made three saves for the Thorns (3-3-1, 10 points), who have won three consecutive matches after losing three times in their first four.
Racheal Kundananji had a goal and an assist, Deyna Castellanos added another goal and Lysianne Proulx made two saves for Bay FC (2-5-0, 6 points), who are tied for most losses in the NWSL.
Linnehan scored her first-career NWSL goal in the second minute off a pass from Smith before Smith made it 2-0 in the seventh minute by scoring on a breakaway.
Kundananji pulled Bay FC within 2-1 in the 41st minute by working through traffic and scoring with her right foot. Bay FC tied it in the 60th minute when Kundananji again worked toward the goal and delivered a pass to Castellanos for the score.
Smith scored the game-winner with her left foot from the top right corner of the penalty area for her NWSL-leading seventh of the season and third match with two goals.