ORLANDO, Fla. -- It only took a few minutes, but the Orlando Pride's marquee midseason signing Rafaelle made her mark 15 minutes into her debut, scoring the opening goal of the match against the Chicago Red Stars.
After the Pride earned a corner, the three Brazilians starting for Orlando put on a training ground routine to get the debutant her goal. As Marta stepped up to take the corner, she instead runs over it to let Adriana send it into the box, right onto the head of Rafaelle. The looping ball floated towards goal -- up and over Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who managed to get a glove on it, but couldn't keep it out. The Brazilian was mobbed by her teammates, celebrating her first goal in purple.
A big goal and an even bigger moment for Orlando, helping lift the Pride to their biggest home win since 2017, a 5-0 rout of Chicago.
Here is a collection of must-see photos from the goal and the celebration that ensued:
Photo credits: Jeremy Reper
