Utah Royals FC Fights Hard, Fall Short Against North Carolina Courage
May 17, 2024, 8:14 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
CARY, N.C. – The Utah Royals FC weathered the storm for the majority of the match against the North Carolina Courage but a late goal extended the club’s loss streak to four.
The Royals’ defense and specifically goalkeeper Mandy Haught deserve a lot of props for the job they did at WakeMed Soccer Park on Friday. The Courage attempted 20 shots with six on goal.
Utah will return home for their next match against the top-ranked Kansas City Current on Saturday, May 25.
Final in Cary pic.twitter.com/ZyvF2FmE52
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 18, 2024
Royals Fall To Courage After Late Goal
First Half
North Carolina nearly opened scoring shortly after kickoff in the second minute. After a Utah attack did not lead to much, the Courage went back the other way.
Ryan Williams maneuvered through the Royals’ defense and found Haley Hopkins in the middle with a great cross but her shot missed to the left.
Hopkins got another look about a minute later but missed wide once again.
The opening first half was dominated by North Carolina. The Royals were unable to break through while it felt like the Courage created a quality scoring look every few minutes.
However, Utah did a great job of defending with their backs against the wall and didnt allow North Carolina to get on the board before halftime.
But the Royals were challenged nonetheless. The Courage took eight shots in the first half. The Royals couldn’t get off a single one.
Nothing breaks the deadlock at the break pic.twitter.com/8CsbYdjNgO
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 18, 2024
Second Half
No. 1 overall pick Ally Sentnor gave the Royals some hope as she broke Utah’s shot drought early in the second half.
In the 48th minute, Haught pulled in her fourth save of the match and Utah quickly went on the counter.
Defender Madison Pogarch found Sentnor on the left side. After a move toward the center of the field, Sentnor sent a shot toward goal but it sailed high.
Unfortunately for the Royals, the game shifted right back into North Carolina’s favor.
The Courage got five shots off in the next 15 minutes. Four of them were off the mark and Haught saved the fifth.
Haught’s save on Tyler Lussi in the 63rd minute was one for the highlight reels. Off of a great cross on the left side of the six-yard box, Lussi was able to get a good amount of power on her shot but Haught made a kick save to keep the score even.
BIIIIIG STOP!
Mandy Haught keeps the Courage off the scoresheet. pic.twitter.com/S8cSYMa7N7
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 18, 2024
But the barrage of shots could only be unsuccessful for so long.
In the 76th minute, Kaleigh Kurtz was finally able to break through for the Courage as she snuck a shot under Haught right in front of the net.
Captain Kaleigh Kurtz breaks the deadlock 🫡
Watch the finish on @SportsonPrime! pic.twitter.com/jq3J3degmr
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 18, 2024
North Carolina did its job on both ends to close out the game at 1-0 and claim three points at home.
With the loss, the Royals have now dropped four straight and are winless in their last eight.
How To Watch Utah Royals FC, NWSL Matches In 2024 Season
Like many other leagues, the NWSL broadcasts its games on a handful of channels and platforms.
TV options include CBS, ESPN, and ION network. Streaming options include Prime Video, Paramount+, ESPN+, and NWSL+.
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.
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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.
