Utah Royals FC Undefeated Streak Comes To An End Against Kansas City Current
Sep 7, 2024, 9:18 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Utah Royals FC’s four-game undefeated streak came to an end at the hands of the Kansas City Current on Saturday.
Utah came into the matchup off of two wins and two draws. The last two matches were wins over Houston and Bay FC preceded by draws to Seattle and Portland.
The Royals will return home for their next game against the San Diego Wave on Saturday, September 14.
That’s all from Kansas City pic.twitter.com/HW89gl9K4Y
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 8, 2024
Utah Royals Fall To KC On Road
The Royals had the upper hand in the first half.
Forward Mina Tanaka put the first shot on goal in the 12th minute. She loaded up from outside the box and put it right on the center of the goal but KC goalkeeper Almuth Schult made the save.
Utah kept the pressure on and got another couple of looks a few minutes later.
In the 18th, Tanaka and Cloé Lacasse got back-to-back looks, forcing Schult to make two more saves.
The next twenty or so minutes were pretty quiet from both sides. However, it still felt like Utah was in control. They had the advantage in time of possession, shots, and corners through the first 45′.
Before the halftime break came about, there was another spurt of action. In the 38th minute, two KC players got looks at goal. The first was off but the second forced Utah goalkeeper Mandy Haught to make a save.
After the Royals conceded that opportunity, they went on the counter. Lacasse put another shot on goal but Schult made another save.
The first half ended with the score knotted at 0-0.
One half down, let’s keep pushing 💪 pic.twitter.com/wi3zG3IgcQ
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) September 8, 2024
With the advantage in almost every major stat, it looked like the Royals would end up pulling out at least a point on the road.
Unfortuantely, fresh out of the break, Kansas City took the lead.
Off of a perfectly placed lead pass, Temwa Chawinga had just the goalkeeper in front of her and she snuck it past to put the home side up one.
CHAWINGA HOLDS NEW CLUB CAREER RECORD: 15 GOALS 👑
Temwa CANNOT be stopped!!!@nwsl | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/AOF3gkQmkM
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) September 8, 2024
Forced to play catchup, the Royals’ offense suffered.
Their first shot attempt of the half didnt come until the 78th minute. However, once they got one off, an onslaught followed.
It started with a blocked Manaka attempt. In the next two minutes, Claudia Zornoza got two looks. The first was off target and the second was met by the hands of Schult. Finally, in the 82nd, Hannah Betfort took a shot from close range but Schult made another save.
That was Utah’s last shot of the match. Kansas City cruised the rest of the way to secure three points at home. The savior ended up being Schult in the end with six saves.
