SANDY, UT (Thursday, July 5, 2018) – Utah Royals FC (5-3-6, 21 pts., 5th NWSL) seek to ride the momentum of a recent unbeaten homestand with critical Pacific Northwest matches at Portland on Friday and at Seattle next Wednesday. Friday’s match airs live on KMYU and ESPN700 AM while streaming digitally via the RSL on KSL app and KSL.com at 9:00 p.m. MT, with Greg Wrubell and Carla Haslam on the call.
Friday’s match at Portland Thorns FC is the third and final contest between the sides this year, with a 1-1 draw at Rio Tinto Stadium in late April followed by a 2-0 Thorns victory in late May. Six points separate six teams in the race for the final three playoff spots, with HC Laura Harvey’s team holding at least one game in hand over Chicago, Orlando and Portland. Seattle and Houston join Utah amongst the mid-table glut, with the Royals FC and Harvey visiting Memorial Stadium in Seattle for the first time since her resignation from the Reign last November, weeks prior to Utah’s NWSL existence.
Utah saw three goals in the first 28 minutes of last week’s 3-1 home win over Sky Blue FC, as FW Christen Press scored in the 7th minute and assisted on the first of FW Katie Stengel’s two goals minutes later. MF Katrina Gorry set up each two goals as well, providing the scintillating assist on Stengel’s header for the club’s first-ever three-goal explosion. Newly-acquired DF Sam Johnson made her club debut, while GK Abby Smith and Captain Becky Sauerbrunn led a defensive rearguard that has allowed one or fewer goals in each of the club’s first seven home games, amassing a Rio Tinto Stadium record of 3-1-3 in the inaugural season.
Following the Portland/Seattle trip, Royals FC returns home to kick off a run that sees Utah play four of five games at home from July 14 – against Alex Morgan, Marta, Sydney Leroux and the Orlando Pride, at 5:00 p.m. MT – to August 11 in a return match against Harvey’s former Seattle side, as part of a second-half of its inaugural campaign where Rio Tinto Stadium hosts five of the club’s final eight games. Tickets for all home games are available atwww.UtahRoyalsFC.com/Tickets or by calling 844.Real.Tix.
How to Follow Utah Royals FC @ Portland Thorns FC – Fri., July 11, 2018
- Coverage Begins: 9:00 p.m. MT
- Local TV: KMYU – Greg Wrubell & Carla Haslam
- Local Radio: ESPN700 AM
- Digital Streaming (Utah only): KSL TV app or KSL.com (desktop)
