SANDY, Utah – (Saturday, May 11, 2019) – Utah Royals FC (3-1-0, 9 points) found the back of the net in the first half with a goal from FW Amy Rodriguez, but ultimately fell short, giving up two goals to the Houston Dash in its first loss of the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League season.
Utah got off to a fast start in the first half and got out to a 1-0 lead when Rodriguez scored her second goal of the season after a slaloming run through the midfield by MF Vero Boquete in the 29th minute. However, Houston got back into the match in the 42nd minute when Rachel Daly won the ball off URFC DF Sam Johnson and put her shot past GK Nicole Barnhart to even the score at 1-1 before halftime.
In the second half, Daly added her second goal of the match in the 50th minute with an assist from midfielder Ari Romero. Daly sat back in Utah’s final third, slipping in between Johnson and DF Michelle Maemone on the backline to open up space and slot the ball into the lower left corner of the goal. Later Daly was ejected from the game for an elbow to the head of DF Meghan Cox in the 90th minute. Utah pressed for an equalizer, but was unable to find it, finishing in a 2-1 defeat.
UP NEXT: URFC heads on the road to face the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, May 19 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Kickoff from Cary, North Carolina is scheduled for 3:00p MT.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:
UTA: Amy Rodriguez (Vero Boquete), 29th minute – Vero Boquete played a ball up the middle to Amy Rodriguez in behind the Houston defense. She carried it up the left side, drawing the goalkeeper off her line before placing a left-footed shot into the open net for a 1-0 lead.
HOU: Rachel Daly, 42nd minute – On a misplayed ball in the back, Rachel Daly gained possession then ran up the right side before putting a shot inside the far post to even the score at 1-1.
HOU: Rachel Daly (Ari Romero), 50th minute - Ari Romero put a pass over her head the head of Rachel Daly where she found space in between Sam Johnson and Michelle Maemone. Daly dribbled the ball down the right side of goal, slotting it in the bottom left of the net for her second goal of the match to make it 2-1.
NOTES:
- Utah played without MF Diana Matheson (Canada), MF Desiree Scott (Canada), DF Becky Sauerbrunn (U.S.), FW Christen Press (U.S.) and DF/FW Kelley O’Hara (U.S.) due to international duty as they enter preparation for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
- MF Mandy Laddish started the match for Utah Royals FC. It was her first NWSL start since September 11, 2016, spanning 973 days between starts. Multiple hip surgeries have kept her on the sideline in 2017 and 2018 and she appeared as a substitute in URFC’s last two matches.
- Houston’s first-half goal was the first allowed by Utah Royals FC GK Nicole Barnhart, ending a streak of 312 consecutive shutout minutes to start the season. Dating back to last season, URFC hadn’t allowed a goal in 363 straight minutes.
- MF Makenzy Doniak made her debut for URFC when she subbed on in the 78th minute.
Match: Utah Royals FC vs. Houston Dash
Date: May 11, 2019
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Attendance: 10,138
Weather: Sunny and 68 degrees
Scoring Summary:1 2 F
Utah Royals FC 1 0 1
Houston Dash 1 1 2
UTA: Amy Rodriguez (Vero Boquete) 29’
HOU: Rachel Daly 42’
HOU: Rachel Daly (Ari Romero) 50’
Lineups:
Utah Royals FC (4-4-2): Nicole Barnhart; Katie Bowen, Rachel Corsie, Sam Johnson, Michelle Maemone (Michelle Maemone 83’); Desiree Scott, Gunny Jónsdóttir, Lo’eau LaBonta, Vero Boquete, Mandy Laddish (Erika Tymrak 68’); Amy Rodriguez, Katie Stengel (Makenzy Doniak 79’).
Subs not used: Abby Smith, Gaby Vincent, Raisa Strom-Okimoto, Alex Kimball
Houston Dash (4-3-3): Jane Campbell; Ari Romero, Clare Polkinghorne, Amber Brooks, Satara Murray; Haley Hanson, Kristie Mewis, Christine Nairn; Sofia Huerta, Kealia Ohai, Rachel Daly.
Subs not used: Elizabeth Brandon, Jamia Fields, Jazmin Jackmon, Devon Kerr, CeCe Kizer, Kayla McCoy, Kyah Simon
Stats Summary: UTA / HOU
Shots: 7 / 11
Shots on Goal: 4 / 4
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 2 / 2
Fouls: 11 / 9
Offside: 0 / 2
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
UTA: Sam Johnson (caution) 44’
UTA: Rachel Corsie (caution) 69’
HOU: Haley Hanson (caution) 72’
HOU: Christine Nairn (caution) 83’
HOU: Rachel Daly (ejection) 90’
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Natalie Simon
Assistant Referees: Seth Martin, Kaili Terry
4th Official: Casey Hayward
