Historic start, heartbreaking finish: Royals fall 2-1 to Spirit in NWSL semifinal

The Utah Royals needed less than two minutes to make league history Saturday morning.

Cloe Lacasse scored directly from a corner kick in the second minute, giving Utah a dream start against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL semifinals at Audi Field.

But Washington answered six minutes later, and a costly defensive mistake in the second half allowed Clara Luvanga to score the winner in a 2-1 Spirit victory that ended Utah’s playoff run.

The Spirit advanced to their third consecutive NWSL championship game and fifth overall, while the seventh-seeded Royals saw their season end one victory short of the final.

Thank you for being part of our historic 2026 season 💛 https://t.co/9RgfcL5UZ3

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) November 14, 2026

A historic start

Taking a corner from the left side in the second minute, Lacasse curled her delivery inside the near post, beating Washington goalkeeper Sandy MacIver for an Olimpico, a goal scored directly from a corner kick.

It was the first Olimpico in NWSL playoff history and the fastest goal ever scored in an NWSL postseason match.

But the lead lasted only six minutes.

Following a challenge on Lacasse near midfield that went uncalled, Washington broke quickly in transition. Trinity Rodman raced down the left flank, beating Miyabi for pace before sending a low ball across the penalty area.

Sofia Cantore, with Nuria Rábano defending closely, redirected the pass into the net with a backheel finish to level the match in the eighth minute.

Coenraets disputed the non-call, saying he was told at halftime that the fourth official had advised calling a foul on Lacasse.

Utah nearly reclaimed the lead in the 26th minute when a Rábano corner led to three scoring opportunities in quick succession.

Ana Tejada, Madison Hammond and Jameese Joseph each had contested shots, but the Spirit survived without conceding.

The teams went into halftime tied 1-1.

One mistake changes everything

Utah suffered another setback when Hammond went down holding her right lower leg. She was replaced by Cece Delzer in the 52nd minute.

Four minutes later, Washington took the lead.

Rábano attempted a backpass to goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, but the ball lacked pace.

Luvanga intercepted it and touched the ball over the onrushing McGlynn to give Washington a 2-1 advantage.

Defender Kate Del Fava was frustrated by the manner of the defeat but refused to blame her teammate.

“That moment is not on her. We would never blame her for that moment,” Del Fava said. “It just feels like they didn’t really earn that win from us.”

“Obviously, great team, they played well,” she added. “But I feel like we did too, and we fought so hard.”

Washington appeared to extend its lead in the 62nd minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside against Luvanga in the buildup.

Utah introduced team-leading scorer Mina Tanaka in the 63rd minute. Tanaka had missed the quarterfinal victory over San Diego with a hamstring injury.

Four minutes later, Delzer kept possession near the edge of the penalty area, and a defender’s attempted clearance fell to Joseph with much of the goal exposed.

But Joseph sent her shot over the crossbar.

Rábano tested MacIver again in the 78th minute, forcing a save on a deflected shot.

Utah pressed through stoppage time, but Washington held on.

“We didn’t go out with a very defensive game plan,” Coenraets said. “We went out and went like, ‘Let’s just go at them.'”

A new standard

The Royals made franchise history twice this postseason, first by qualifying for the NWSL playoffs for the first time, then by upsetting second-seeded San Diego Wave FC 1-0 to reach their first semifinal.

Before the season, pundits had predicted Utah would finish near the bottom of the standings.

Among the approximately 700 supporters packed into the America First Field watch party was Jeni Wilson, an original Royals season-ticket holder wearing a Kelley O’Hara jersey.

“I love that they just yell, ‘Why not us?'” Wilson said at halftime. “This team has belief. So why not us? Why shouldn’t we be able to go all the way?”

“Honestly, right now, like, I’m mad,” midfielder Paige Cronin said. “I know everyone’s saying congrats, and I know we have a historic season.”

“But yeah, it’s just disappointing, you know, to lose in the semifinals. But obviously, I’m glad that that’s the group feeling as well, because I don’t wanna be on a team that’s happy when we lose in the semis.”

“I didn’t want the season to be over, so just it really stinks. This group was really special.”

Del Fava believes the postseason experience has raised expectations for the entire organization.

“This is just the beginning for this group,” she said. “Now this is the standard, and we wanna be back here every year fighting for championships.” 

Coenraets acknowledged the historic achievement, but wasn’t ready to overlook how close his team had come to something more.

“You have to be proud about how these players showed up, what they did, how we showed up just in general,” he said. “But also there needs to be something that stings.”