SANDY, Utah (Tuesday, July 7, 2020) – Utah Royals FC (1-0-1, 4 points) is set to play its third match in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, facing the OL Reign. The match will kick off at 10:30a MT at Zions Bank Stadium and will be streamed live on the CBS All-Access Platform and broadcast locally on the radio on ESPN700.
The match comes on the heels of Royals FC’s first victory in the tournament and the first under Head Coach Craig Harrington. Last Saturday Utah defeated Sky Blue FC 1-0 thanks to a goal from 2019 Utah Royals FC Golden Boot winner and current team captain Amy Rodriguez who scored after receiving an assist from Vero Boquete. Combined with the 3-3 draw against the Houston Dash in the first match of the Cup, Utah Royals FC currently sits in third place in the standings based on goal differential, a win against Reign would put Utah within two points of the tournament-leading North Carolina Courage.
Against OL Reign, URFC holds an all-time record of 1-4-1 (4 points), most recently falling to the team from Washington 2-1 on September 25, 2019 in one of the last matches of the 2019 season.
How to Follow Utah Royals FC vs. OL Reign – Wednesday, July 8, 2020
·Coverage Begins: 10:30 a.m. MT
·Local TV: N/A
·Digital Streaming: CBS All-Access
·English Radio: ESPN700 w/ Krista Blunk
·Spanish TV: N/A
Game Notes for Saturday’s URFC v. RGN game Available Online
Those seeking the Adobe PDF version of the Game Guide in advance of Wednesday’s contest between Utah Royals FC and OL Reign can be found here. Media members looking to receive the document as an attachment or have further questions are asked to please contact Meg Van Dyk in the URFC Communications Department via email at meg.vandyk@rsl.com.
URFC sees 20 players from its 2019 roster return to the club for the tournament, led by veteran striker and 2019 team-golden boot winner Amy Rodriguez. She is joined by goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart as well as the defensive core of Rachel Corsie, Katie Bowen and Kelley O’Hara along the backline. In the midfield, URFC will see Vero Boquete return for her second season in Utah alongside Gunny Jonsdottir and Desiree Scott. Joining Rodriguez to spearhead the attack is Brittany Ratcliffe who returns to action after missing the 2019 season due to injury alongside newcomer Arielle Shipp.
URFC will be without forward Christen Press as she chose to opt out of the tournament.
New faces join the squad for the condensed 2020 season as 2020 NWSL Draft picks Tziarra King and Kate Del Favalook set to make their professional debuts in Utah. A two-sport athlete at Penn State University, Marissa Sheva will feature on the roster for URFC after spending the early part of the 2020 season in the Spanish second division with Deportivo Alavés. Aminata Diallo is expected to be available for selection during the NWSL Challenge Cup.
