The Orlando Pride played their first meaningful game of 2025 in the NWSL Challenge Cup Friday against the Washington Spirit. While the Pride looked sharp, they couldn’t quite earn their third trophy in a row at the expense of the Spirit, with regulation ending in a 1-1 draw, and Washington taking the competition in penalties, 4-2.

The Washington Spirit got their revenge Friday night against the Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium in Florida, winning the 2025 Challenge Cup in penalty kicks. While it won’t erase the loss in the 2024 NWSL championship, Friday’s win was a solid start with a trophy to boot ahead of the start of the regular season.

Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda told ESPN that the Pride's ambition in 2025 is to become the first team since North Carolina Courage in 2019 to retain the NWSL championship.