Utah Royals Held Scoreless In Home Loss To North Carolina Courage
May 3, 2025, 10:14 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Royals were unable to find the back of the net in a 2-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage at America First Field on Saturday.
North Carolina held the time of possession advantage, took nearly twice as many shots, and set up for seven corner kicks to just one for the Royals.
Ally Sentnor continued to dazzle with her dribbling and offensive creation, but an early miss on a somewhat routine close-range attempt set the tone for both her and the entire squad.
Utah will hit the road for its next match against Angel City FC on Friday, May 9.
final from home pic.twitter.com/Z0cIFzXPNy
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 4, 2025
First Half
The North Carolina Courage pride themselves on possession and building momentum. For the Utah Royals, their best chance at a win depended on coming out aggressively and striking first.
After North Carolina took the first two shots of the match, a critical turnover gave Utah a golden opportunity inside the box.
Cece Kizer found Sentnor for a near-uncontested look from the center of the area, but her shot sailed over the crossbar. Just a few minutes later, the Courage made Utah pay, scoring the opening goal to take a 1-0 lead.
SANCHITO FOR THE SECOND GAME IN A ROW 🚀
Ashley Sanchez makes the run and finds the back of net in style pic.twitter.com/05yPCc4Can
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 4, 2025
The early deficit spelled trouble for the Royals. North Carolina entered the match having won 10 of its last 11 games when scoring first.
Both sides continued to fire away, combining for four shots over the next eight minutes.
As the midpoint of the first half passed, the Courage’s dominance became increasingly evident. They led in possession, had seven more shots, and earned four corner kicks while Utah had none.
The Royals held firm for a stretch, but every defense has its breaking point. In the 43rd minute, a North Carolina cross deflected off Kate Del Fava and into the back of her own net.
Shinomi Koyama starts it, Ryan Williams delivers it, and Manaka Matsukubo keeps the pressure on for the Courage’s second goal! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Bv4eDtPN3p
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 4, 2025
Stoppage time included just one more Courage attempt, which missed high.
North Carolina entered the break with a 2-0 lead at America First Field.
Second Half
Unfortunately for the Royals, the second half brought more of the same.
North Carolina maintained its edge in possession, drew more fouls, and continued to create chances off corner kicks. The only notable change was that shot attempts were even after the break, rather than heavily favoring the Courage.
That said, Utah never produced a better chance than Sentnor’s early miss in the opening 10 minutes. Kate Del Fava, Mina Tanaka, and Janni Thomsen each took shots, but none were on target.
What CAN’T Ally Sentnor do?! 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/OcH9Z8RvhL
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 4, 2025
In the final minutes of regulation, Utah still trailed 2-0 when a Madison Pogarch handball in the box awarded North Carolina a penalty kick.
Riley Jackson stepped up looking to ice the game, but her attempt sailed wide right. Shortly after, five minutes of stoppage time were added.
Utah was unable to find a late consolation goal, and the final whistle sealed a 2-0 road win for the Courage.
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