Utah Royals FC 0, Orlando Pride 0
May 9, 2018; Sandy, Utah; Rio Tinto Stadium
Utah Royals FC (1-1-5, 8 points); Orlando Pride (2-2-3, 9 points)
Woman of the Match:
On Wednesday, May 9, Katrina “Mini” Gorry started her second game for the club at Rio Tinto Stadium against the Orlando Pride. After qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the Westfield Matildas, Gorry moved to Utah for her NWSL return. A league champ herself while playing at FC Kansas City in 2014, Mini immediately added a spark to the URFC midfield, moving into her natural position as the attacking mid. The transition from the Brisbane Roar in the W-League to the new Utah side has appeared easy, with Gorry making an impact minutes after being subbed into her first URFC game against Portland Thorns FC in late April.
Gorry brought that same sort of energy to the Orlando Pride match up at Rio Tinto Stadium, distributing balls into the running channels of forwards Kelley O’Hara, Amy Rodriguez, and Diana Matheson. Not only was her passing game on par, but Mini’s technical ability to get out of pressure in the center was also impressive. Unfortunately, the URFC side was unable to score, resulting in a 0-0 draw, but Katrina Gorry’s flare and skill demonstrated that she is already an integral part of Laura Harvey’s team – making her this week’s “Woman of the Match.”
Telling Stat:
Identifying a telling statistic can often be difficult with a scoreless draw, but the possession percentage from the match does say a lot about who owned the run of play. While the game ended in zeros, URFC held nearly 60% of the possession (57%, to be exact), while Orlando fell to 43%. A majority of this possession came in the second half for Harvey’s team, who acquired a majority of their chances in the last twenty minutes to a fatigued Orlando squad.
Scoring appears to be the final gear missing for Utah, with only one shot on frame of the 13 taken. Likewise, URFC is living up to their reputation of having one of the strongest defensive backlines in the NWSL, only allowing Orlando with five total shots, and two on frame.
What You Missed:
Those watching on Wednesday saw a physical battle between these two NWSL rivals. The game started out physical, with Orlando committing four fouls in the first five minutes of the match. The Pride ultimately ended up fouling the Utah side 18 times, with URFC responding with 12 more.
Also, over 7,000 fans were brought to their feet mid-way through the game, calling for a hand ball against Brazilian national team star, Marta, who claimed to have gotten hit in the face during the run of play. Twitter immediately blew up, with hundreds posting footage and memes from the last time these two teams met in March – where Marta converted on a penalty kick after DF Becky Sauerbrunn was called for a hand ball in the box— but ironically, actually got hit in the face. The erroneous call ended up being the difference between a URFC win and a draw.
So, What:
This game against Orlando could be just what Laura Harvey needs to prepare her team for a talented Dash squad. The team will play the last home game of the month against the Houston Dash at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, May 19, at 1:30 p.m. MT. The last time URFC took on the Dash was at BBVA Compass Stadium, ending in a scoreless tie. Listed as Lifetime’s “Game of the Week,” URFC versus Houston will be on Lifetime TV, and can be listened
