July 28, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Utah Royals FC News Release
SANDY, Utah (Friday) Utah Royals FC (1-1-0, 3 pts, 2nd in Group A) defeat Portland Thorns (1-1-0, 3pts, 3rd in Group A) 3-1 in its second match of NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup group play.
Playing at America First Field for the first time under Interim Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets the Utah Royals came out hot.
Just three minutes into play, forward Hannah Betfort found the net, her first with the blue-and-gold. Receiving a ball from captain Paige Monaghan inside the six, Betfort flicked the ball first-time off the far post to give the Royals an early 1-0 lead, tying with four other goals for the fastest goal scored in URFC history (3′).
The Royals continued to press on the gas, adding to the lead in the 21st minute. In transition, Monaghan played a ball to rookie Ally Sentnor who drove up the middle of the field took an outside touch, freezing her defender before firing towards the far post for her team leading fourth goal of the season (in all competitions).
Holding a 2-0 lead the hosts entered the locker room leading or tied in all statistical categories; shots (15/2), shots on goal (8/1), possession (51/49), and corners (3/3).
Despite a slow first half Portland flipped the script early in the second half controlling majority of possession in the Royals’ final third. As the Royals worked back into the flow of the game Brecken Mozingo found herself on a breakaway in the 63rd minute.
In transition Sentnor layed a ball off to her left to former BYU Cougar Mozingo who beat the keeper in a 1v1 situation finding the net near the far post. The goal was waived off in a controversial offsides call against Mozingo.
Just minutes later Portland started to claw at URFC’s lead capitalizing off a Royals error in the defensive third. Finding herself on a second ball Olivia Moultrie made a move on Tejada and fired to the far post, finishing in the upper 90 bringing the Thorns within one.
Michele Vasconcelos ended the Thorns hopes of a comeback scoring her first goal of the season off a Thorns deflection. Gaining possession after winning a tackle, Ana Tejada playing in the midfield opposed to her natural position at center back drove up the middle of the field laying the ball off to the Utah native who targeted the far post sending Portland goalkeeper Lauren Kozal to her right but deflected off of a Thorns center back head and into the near post net.
Portland showed no quit testing the Royals…