Utah Royals FC Makes It Back-To-Back Wins With 3-1 Victory In Houston
Aug 31, 2024, 10:37 PM | Updated: Sep 4, 2024, 3:12 pm
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
HOUSTON, Texas – The Utah Royals FC built on their current run of good form with a 3-1 road win over the Houston Dash on Saturday.
The Royals (4-11-3) were in Space City on Saturday, August 31, to take on the Houston Dash (3-10-5).
With the win, Utah is now undefeated in its last four matches. It started with back-to-back draws against Portland and Seattle before they beat Bay FC last week.
RELATED: Utah Royals FC Tops Bay FC In Tight Match
Flying back with +3 👑 pic.twitter.com/vprHrKhCv4
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 1, 2024
Utah Royals Make It Four Matches With No Loss In Houston
The first half started relatively slow for the Royals.
Houston’s Sophie Schmidt forced Mandy Haught to make a save in the 5th minute and Utah’s first real chance didnt come until the 17th.
Claudia Zornoza put a cross right in front of the net but Kate Del Fava’s header attempt sailed just high.
Kaleigh Riehl, Hannah Betfort, and Cloé Lacasse all got looks at goal over the next ten minutes but all three attempts either narrowly missed or were blocked.
Finally, in the 44th minute, the Royals broke the seal.
After a first attempt came back out off of the crossbar, Ana Tejada cleaned up for her first NWSL goal.
Second chance leads to Ana’s first @NWSL goal!! pic.twitter.com/6XR4BL3XYe
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 1, 2024
Even though 14 minutes of stoppage time was played after the first 45′, the Royals held onto their 1-0 lead going into the break.
Just six minutes into the second half, Utah doubled its lead.
Cloé Lacasse drew a foul in the penalty area which set up a PK for Claudia Zornoza. Houston’s goalkeeper actually picked the right side but Zornoza put it just out of reach into the bottom right corner.
We’ve got another first @NWSL goal!!
Claudia from the spot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/pC4txw3qCA
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 1, 2024
Once again, it took just minutes for Utah to add to this lead.
Paige Monaghan took off at the perfect time and an excellent lead pass from Zornoza made it so it was just grass and the goalkeeper between the ball and the goal.
Monaghan took it all the way into the box, forced the goalie to commit, and snuck it past her on the right to make it a 3-0 lead for the Royals.
Another game, another goal for our Captain 🫶 pic.twitter.com/3lY3PZ5vw6
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 1, 2024
From there, Utah played slow and smart to hold onto its lead.
Houston ended up pulling one back in the 73rd minute but the Dash’s next shot attempt didnt come until stoppage time.
With the win, Utah overtook Houston in the standings.
The Royals will stay on the road for their next match against the Kansas City Current on Saturday, September 7. Utah and KC last played in May and the Current came out on top in a grinded-out match.
RELATED STORIES
How To Watch Utah Royals FC, NWSL Matches In 2024 Season
Utah Royals FC heads to the Show Me State for a battle with the Kansas City Current on Saturday, September 7.
Like many other leagues, the NWSL broadcasts its games on a variety of channels and platforms.
CBS, ESPN, and ION network are available as TV options. Prime Video, Paramount+, ESPN+, and NWSL+ are available as streaming options.
Live radio calls of every game can be found on sports.ksl.com. Select games will be broadcast on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM/1160 AM).
Check out where to watch each Utah Royals game here.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports.
Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
