Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

Sport

Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

2026-05-03 11:54 Last Updated At：12:00

Sofia Cantore scored two goals, Trinity Rodman added a goal and two assists, and the Washington Spirit won their fourth straight with a 4-2 victory over the Orlando Pride on Saturday.

In other National Women's Soccer League matches, the Utah Royals beat Angel City FC 1-0 on the road and the Kansas City Current edged the host North Carolina Courage 2-1.

After a 90-minute weather delay, Washington wasted no time. Rodman picked out Cantore who struck from outside the box in the second minute for a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, Rodman passed to Cantore, who dribbled past Anna Moorhouse and slotted it home to double the lead.

The two goals (5:27) were the fastest ever in the league’s history with Cantore eclipsing the previous record set by Uchenna Kanu in 2024 by 13 seconds.

Golden boot leader Barbra Banda drew a foul in the box on defender Esme Morgan, but Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver denied the penalty kick from Ally Lemos. On the ensuing corner kick, Banda scored for her sixth goal of the season to narrow the margin.

Banda completed a first-half brace with the equalizer and seventh goal in the 39th to tie it.

Paraguay international Claudia Martínez earned her first NWSL start and tallied her second goal of the season in the 55th minute, giving the Spirit (4-1-3) back the lead.

Rodman scored the game’s final goal in the 70th minute, marking her third consecutive game with a score.

Despite Banda’s second consecutive game with two goals, the Pride (2-3-2) have dropped both results.

Captain Paige Cronin delivered a pinpoint cross onto Cloé Lacasse’s head for the game’s only goal in the 32nd minute, giving Utah (4-2-1) a fourth straight win.

In first half stoppage time, Maiara Niehues received a direct red card for violent conduct towards Lacasse. It was the first in club history for Angel City FC, who would also play down a player the entirety of the second half.

Royals Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn started her first match of the 2026 season and earned the clean sheet with four saves.

After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Angel City FC (3-3-0) have now lost three straight.

Croix Bethune and Michelle Cooper scored first-half goals for the Current (3-4-0), who hung on for the win on the road.

Bethune opened up the scoring with a volleyed goal in the eighth minute. In the 23rd, Cooper dribbled past goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and finished from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Manaka Matsukubo trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the 85th for North Carolina (2-2-3) with a goal off a rebound.

Courage defender Felicitas Rauch was handed a straight red card in second half stoppage time for violent conduct on Haley Hopkins.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. exits early with left hamstring tightness

DENVER (AP) — Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. left Saturday night's game against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning with left hamstring tightness.

With his team holding a 2-0 lead, Acuña was attempting to run out a ground ball before he pulled up about halfway down the base path and grabbed at his left hamstring.

He was examined by team medical personnel before walking gingerly off the field and back to the Atlanta dugout.

He was replaced by Eli White in right field.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said Acuña will get an MRI and the team likely won’t know more about the extent of the injury until later Saturday or Sunday.

“We’ll see the severity of it,” Weiss said. “I didn’t like the way it looked. Ronnie is starting to swing the bat. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, if he is out, it’ll be short-term.”

Acuña had a leadoff single and scored the Braves’ first run on a two-run homer from Drake Baldwin to left field.

After a torn ACL he suffered in May 2024 limited him to a combined 144 games over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old Acuña has played in all of Atlanta’s 34 games this season.

The five-time All-Star and 2023 National League MVP is batting .252 this season with two home runs, nine RBIs, 17 runs and a team-high seven stolen bases. Over the past six games, he was hitting .381.

If Acuña misses any games, Weiss said the Braves have options to make up for his absence in right field, including Mauricio Dubón, White and Jorge Mateo.

“We’re very versatile, but you never like to be challenged like this, losing, if it happens, one of your best players and most talented players,” Weiss said. “We’ll be OK. We’ll have some moving parts.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb