The defending NWSL champions are kicking off the 2025 season on a dominant note. On Friday, as the regular season got underway, the Orlando Pride destroyed the Chicago Stars with a 6-0 win in their home opener.
It only took a few minutes for the Pride to find the back of the net. Haley McCutcheon threaded the ball between the Stars’ defense to get one past Chicago keeper Alyssa Naeher and take an early 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.
Forward Ally Watt scored next, hitting a beautiful header off a corner kick in the 36th minute.
A Stars own goal minutes after the start of the second half brought Orlando’s lead to 3-0, with Pride midfielder Julie Doyle growing the lead even more with a goal in the 65th minute. And in the end, it was none other than star forward Barbra Banda to bring it home.
Banda hit two goals in less than ten minutes, notching successful shots in the 80th and 87th minute and doing what she does best: making opposing defenders pay for their mistakes.
The six-point margin of victory, tied for the largest in NWSL history, has been achieved five times before in the league. The most recent time was last season, when — you guessed it — the Pride defeated the Utah Royals 6-0.
The Pride dominated all of last season, lifting both the NWSL Cup and the Shield by the end of the year. Although it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a team that retained most of its best players should come out strong this year as well, the win sends a strong message for the rest of the league as the season moves forward.
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