Toni Pressley found herself in the opposition's half in the 70th minute of Orlando’s 4-1 win over FC Kansas City.

After a short corner, the ball came to her feet. She dribbled forward, shook off a defender and unleashed a left-footed strike from outside the box and into the net. After she scored, Pressley turned toward the midfield and threw her hands in the air.

Her teammates mobbed her in celebration.

The strike represented more than just giving the Pride a 3-1 lead. It built confidence that was wavering because of recent performances.

“I jumped up off the bench, nearly pulled a hamstring,” coach Tom Sermanni said. “If you look at the celebration when she scored compared to when our other players scored, there was just that extra edge to it and I think everybody was delighted to see her score.”

Pressley’s goal was the National Women’s Soccer League’s Goal of the Week for Week 13, the league announced Tuesday.

“I watched it a few times. It was pretty nice,” Pressley said while laughing. “... Hopefully, I can score a few more.”

It was a change of emotions compared to Orlando’s two previous games.

Pressley had given away a penalty in the Pride’s 1-0 loss to Chicago on July 1 and another one during a 2-2 draw against Washington on July 8.

Pressley sent a tweet, from her handle @Toni_Deion, after the loss to Chicago that read: “My team was great today. Sorry.”

Teammates came to her defense and voiced their support. Steph Catley, Jasmyne Spencer and Kristen Edmonds were among those who responded to her tweet.

“We have such a great group of girls here and just to know that they're behind me and support me and that this is a collective effort, it just means a lot,” Pressley said. “I did feel horrible after that game because I felt everyone was working so hard and put in a great performance … but to have them respond in the way that they did, that's pretty amazing and it speaks to their character.”

It was hard for Pressley to let the mistakes go. They lingered in her mind. To pick her back up, Sermanni wanted her to understand that mistakes are a part of the game.

“It wasn't a case of signaling Toni out because we've had other players who have committed unnecessary fouls in the box,” Sermanni said. “It's more than that and just maybe realize it's part of a defender's life, and you just gotta pick yourself up and go on with it. I think getting that goal will give her a huge boost in confidence.”

Building and maintaining confidence would’ve been an issue last year. Pressley admitted she struggled with confidence during stretches. In the offseason, Pressley committed to changing the way she approached the game. She worked on her fitness, went on a vegan diet and, perhaps most important, worked on becoming mentally stronger.

Coupled with her natural talent, Pressley is starting to show just how good she can be.

Sermanni said her left foot can rival some of the players in MLS.

It's all about maintaining confidence, and Pressley hopes her goal and performance against Kansas City is the start of a special run.

“I think just looking to build off that and keep performing well and now having done that, I have to work even harder now to keep up with that,” Pressley said. “And I'm just looking forward to it.”