A NWSL team gets its first-ever point, and the Orlando Pride narrowly misses a win as they draw Denver Summit FC.
The 1-1 draw by the teams was actually a story of two peaking players in the NWSL. Orlando Pride winger Jacquie Ovalle appeared to put her team in the lead for good with a 12th-minute goal. But it was called offside.
Then, in the 42nd minute, Ovalle hit a long-range shot toward the Denver Summit net. It looked wire-guided, and the opposing netminder might have lost sight of it for a moment. But Denver goalkeeper Abby Smith caught up to the ball just in time and executed an acrobatic diving save.
Smith completed the match with a career-high 10 saves. But all this combined to frustrate Ovalle, who is seeking a career game of her own.
She won, if not the match, then her revenge when she found striker Barbra Banda for the equalizer in the 62nd minute on what was the forward’s 26th birthday. The score resulted from a cross from the right side, fielded by Ovalle, and headed in by Banda over Denver defender Ayo Oke.
It was the equalizer because of another NWSL phenomena on the opposing team.
In the 24th minute, Oke fired a ball to forward Natasha Flint. She quickly dodged around a defender and tapped the ball to striker Melissa Kossler, who worked it just beyond Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse’s foot for the score.
Denver held onto their lead until Banda’s equalizer. It’s the first time in their first season that the Colorado club has enjoyed a lead. Kossler has scored their only two goals in the NWSL.
Kossler represents the kind of new phenomenon on her team that Ovalle does for the Pride. That’s because Jacquie Ovalle is the reason Denver’s netminder and many other goalkeepers last season have had to work so hard. The Pride attempted 23 shots in this match, which is the league high for 2026.
Ovalle debuted in a tough 2025 match against the Chicago Stars FC. It was a 5-2 loss. But when Ovalle hit the pitch, the Pride scored. She clashed with opponents, instinctively moved to the ball, and got off shots and passes.
With this kind of offensive fire, the Orlando Pride will blaze a path to many 2026 wins.