Copper Queens Coach Nora Hauptle has congratulated skipper Barbra Banda following her heroics for Orlando Pride.
Banda netted a treble as the Pride beat the Utah Royals 3-1 to end a 3 match winless run. The hat-trick was the first in Orlando Pride’s history.
The 38 minute treble is also the fastest in the history of the USA’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Hauptle said she had a quick chat with Barbra following the treble and told her that she was on fire after the beautiful hat-trick for her club just before the international break.
Commenting on Copper Queens captain Barbra Banda who netted her first hat-trick for Orlando Pride, Copper Queens Coach Nora Hauptle said; “It’s exciting. We had a quick message chat and I congratulated Barbra Banda. I said, ‘You are on fire!’ because she was so excited to come back to Zambia, and then she scored a hat-trick.”
“I’m always happy when my players are getting good exposure. Barbra is a key player at a top club in the USA. They had a few tough games but now I’m happy they’ve made a turnaround. It makes my work easier when they come in good shape and in a good mood,” Hauptle said.
“Prisca [Chilufya] also got some minutes, and I’m happy she got her slot in the team. Grace [Chanda] took a little bit longer due to injury but she also collected some minutes. Rachael [Kundananji] is a starter at Bay FC. They had a tighter season this year, so we are monitoring them all.”
“We have access to the Chinese League. Fridah had a good start, unfortunately Ochumba Lubandji is still out. Nachula with Jerusalem just played a cup final on Sunday, which is good. So those we have abroad are performing well. And it’s a chance for other players to also go abroad, maybe after WAFCON, with this kind of exposure,” She said.
