GK Nicole Barnhart Makes Four Saves as Royals FC Holds Off League’s Most Potent Attack in 0-0 Draw at Rio Tinto Stadium
SANDY, Utah (Friday, July 20, 2018) – Utah Royals FC (5-6-7, 22 points) stayed in playoff contention and won the season series with the top-ranked North Carolina Courage, holding off a potent attack in a 0-0 draw Friday night in front of a crowd of 8,529 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
GK Nicole Barnhart finished the night with four saves, facing 20 shots on the night as the Royals moved to 3-2-4 at home and 1-0-2 overall against the front-running Courage.
North Carolina had the better of the chances in the first half, outshooting Utah 9-1. However, the only shot on goal came in the sixth minute when Abby Erceg snapped a header off a ball from the left side off the boot of Debinha, forcing Barnhart into a diving save to her right to keep the match scoreless.
The second half was tilted more in Utah’s favor, with the Royals putting the pressure on North Carolina’s defense throughout the half. Still the Courage held an 11-4 shots advantage in the half, DF Rachel Corsiecoming up with the biggest stop of the night in the 88th minute as Lynn Williams got out on the break. With Darian Jenkins charging up the left side, Corsie slid in to block a ball from Williams bound for the far post. That kept the match scoreless as the teams finished with a 0-0 draw.
Utah Royals FC is currently sixth in the NWSL standings, six points behind the Chicago Red Stars, currently in the fourth and final playoff spot.
UP NEXT: Utah Royals FC heads back on the road to face the Houston Dash on Sunday, August 5. Utah is currently 1-0-1 against the Dash this season, taking a 1-0 victory in their last meeting on May 19.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:
None.
KEY SAVES AND DEFENSIVE STOPS:
UTA: Nicole Barnhart, 6th minute – On a ball in from the left side, Abby Erceg snapped a header to the near post, but Nicole Barnhart made the diving stop to keep the match scoreless.
UTA: Rachel Corsei, 88th minute – With North Carolina going on a two-on-one break, Rachel Corsie slid in to block the entry ball as Lynn Williams pressed for the go-ahead goal.
NOTES:
- Utah played without three players away on international duty with the U.S. Women’s National Team for their upcoming friendlies. FW Christen Press, FW Amy Rodriguez and DF Becky Sauerbrunn all left for the Tour of Nations matches against Japan, Australia and Brazil. North Carolina had six players away, Abby Dahlkemper, Crystal Dunn, Jaelene Hinkle, Merritt Mathias, Samantha Mewis and McCall Zerboni.
- Utah signed GK Becca Ritchie and FW Colette Smith as national team replacement players for Friday’s match.
Match: Utah Royals FC vs. North Carolina Courage
Date: July 20, 2018
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Attendance: 8,529
Weather: Partly cloudy and 88
Scoring Summary:1 2 F
Utah Royals FC 0 0 0
North Carolina Courage 0 0 0
None.
Lineups:
Utah Royals FC (4-3-3): Nicole Barnhart; Katie Bowen, Samantha Johnson, Rachel Corsie, Becca Moros; Desiree Scott, Gunny Jónsdóttir, Katrina Gorry (Brittany Ratcliffe 64’); Diana Matheson (Lo’eau Labonta 75’), Katie Stengel, Taylor Lytle (Erika Tymrak 80’).
Subs not used: Becca Ritchie, Sydney Miramontez, Collette Smith, Elise Thorsnes.
North Carolina Courage (4-4-2): Katelyn Rowland; Heather O’Reilly, Kaleigh Kurtz, Abby Erceg, Meredith Speck; Kristen Hamilton, Denise O’Sullivan, Cari Roccaro (Yuri Kawamura 82’), Debinha; Jessica McDonald (Darian Jenkins 73’), Lynn Williams.
Subs not used: Sabrina D’Angelo, Morgan Reid, Ryan Williams, Sarah Teegarden, Carlin Hudson.
Stats Summary: UTA / NCC
Shots: 5 / 20
Shots on Goal: 1 / 4
Saves: 4 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 8
Fouls: 6 / 8
Offside: 1 / 2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
None.
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Christina Unkel
First Assistant: Maggie Short
Second Assistant: Diego Blas
4th Official: Kristi Mak
