Barbra Banda has explained the impact training had in her performance for Orlando Pride against Chicago Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) quarter-final playoffs on Friday night, Afrosport reports.
The Zambia forward scored a brace as the Pride recorded a 4-1 win, their first-ever win in playoffs and now move into the semi-finals where they will take on Kansas City Current.
Banda took her goal tally to 15 in 23 games this season coupled with six assists which sees her sit second on the top scorers chart behind Malawi and Kansas forward Temwa Chawinga who has 21 goals and six assists in 26 games, the latest coming in the 1-0 win over North Carolina Courage also on Friday.
“I always say that not all days are numbers. I might miss and have games without scoring, but whenever I have an opportunity and a chance I have to utilise it wisely and it was my day [against Chicago] and it all started from training. We had great trainings and we’ve prepared for this playoff so well,” she told the club website.
She added: “Our coach [Seb Hines] is always telling us that champions always win in the dressing room, so the morale with this team was so high even before the game. We set the tone high because we wanted to win this game, and it was important for us to win. We are looking forward to the next game.”
2 – Barbra Banda is the second player to score multiple goals in a single half of an #NWSL Playoff match (Amy Rodriguez – 1st half of 2015 semifinal vs. Chicago). Overwhelming. pic.twitter.com/TgWKwwiQiC
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) November 9, 2024
Banda joined Orlando this year after three seasons in China with Shanghai Shengli.
She placed 12th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or award for women’s player, becoming the highest-ranked African female footballer.
