‘Get back to us’: Royals believe recent defensive struggles are just a blip

SANDY — After consecutive losses ended the Utah Royals’ franchise-record 10-match unbeaten run, the message around the club this week wasn’t complicated.

Don’t panic.

“It’s nothing I’m panicking about,” head coach Jimmy Coenraets said after Friday night’s 3-1 loss to Gotham FC. “It’s just getting small pieces right.”

The Royals (7-3-4, 24 points) have conceded six goals in their last two matches after allowing just 10 through their first 12 games, slipping from third to fifth in the NWSL standings. But inside the locker room, players and coaches insist the recent defensive struggles haven’t changed their belief in who they are.

“What we have to do as a team now is just don’t panic,” Coenraets said after the Gotham loss, pausing and then grinning. “We’re about to go on another 10-game unbeaten streak, right?”

Midfielder Madison Hammond echoed that confidence after training this week.

“The vibe is getting back to our basics and getting back to our principles,” Hammond said. “The way we’ve conceded goals is not us and not who we want to be this season. We’ve processed it, but most importantly we want to leave it and view it as just a blip. We want to get back on track.”

Forward Cece Delzer, who has scored goals in consecutive matches, delivered much the same message.

“Two losses in a row sucks and it’s brutal,” Delzer said, “but it’s part of the game. We just need to focus back on the simple things and the things we need to execute to get three points.”

Get back to us

One phrase kept surfacing throughout the week.

Get back to us.

Hammond used those exact words when describing the team’s mentality.

“The message is just get back to us and us at our core,” she said. “We know we’re going to put in good performances, tactics aside. It’s all about us, and that’s what we’re most focused on.”

Delzer framed it differently but arrived at the same conclusion.

“We started the season that way,” she said of the club’s opening two losses. “We know we’ve been in this hole before. We just need to bring the energy, feed off the crowd. The crowds have been great at home.”

Coenraets believes the challenge isn’t reinventing the team, but rediscovering the consistency that fueled one of the league’s longest unbeaten runs.

“The most important thing is making sure the floor stays the same while we’re increasing the ceiling,” he said.

Another dangerous test

The timing won’t make the task any easier.

The defending NWSL Shield-winning Orlando Pride arrive in Sandy having won three of their last five matches and sitting eighth in the standings on 20 points. Despite their mid-table position, Orlando has scored 21 goals this season, exactly the same total as Utah.

Forward Barbra Banda leads the league with 12 goals, while summer signing Lourdes Ovalle has quickly added three assists in just eight appearances.

Utah has offensive weapons of its own. Cloé Lacasse leads the Royals with five goals, while Mina Tanaka has four goals and four assists since returning from international duty.

The matchup may ultimately come down to whether Utah can rediscover the defensive identity that carried it through a 10-match unbeaten run.

“We know Orlando’s a great team,” Delzer said. “We know they’re lethal, but so are we. I think we’ve shown that, especially the first half of this year. We’re excited, we’re re-energized and we’re ready to go.”

Match Information

Who: Utah Royals FC vs. Orlando Pride

When: Saturday, July 18 | 6:45 p.m. MDT

Where: America First Field, Sandy

Broadcast: ION

Tickets: Available through SeatGeek