By: Jay Kostal
Utah Royals FC host North Carolina Courage FC at America First Field in its second of two home matches. The Royals will look to maintain its position at the top of the table and complete the sweep over the Courage.
This edition of Storylines will look at how the Royals’ have been able to keep opponents off balance defensively, and what to expect against the league’s best goal scoring team.
The Offensive Versatility Provided by Nuria Rábano
Last time against North Carolina, the Royals broke the NWSL record for most set piece goals scored in a single game with four. The orchestrator behind two of those set piece goals was Spanish defender, Nuria Rábano, who recorded her first multi-assist game as a Royal.
Since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg in the beginning of the 2025 season, Rábano has become an instrumental part of the Royals incredible turnaround. The Spanish defender is becoming a focal point this season as more teams plan to contain the offensive firepower provided from Cloé Lacasse and Mina Tanaka.
Head Coach Jimmy Coanraets spoke highly of Rábano’s offensive capability with a wicked left-foot able to send in a dangerous cross from any position on the field. He also talked about how her initial delivery off set pieces and corner kicks has contributed to the Royals scoring the joint third most set piece in the league with eight.
In the match against the Courage, Rábano’s first assist came directly off a deeply swung corner kick toward the back post, where captain Kate Del Fava applied the finishing touch to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the 6th minute. Her second assist of the match came off a reworked corner where she lofted a threatening ball from outside the penalty area into the six yard box that was finished off by the outside boot of Tatumn Milazzo.
Rábano’s last assist was on September 12th against Houston Dash, when she crossed a low driven ball into the penalty area where Tanaka scored a tap-in at the far post for the game winning goal. Rábano has recorded a career high four assists this season while generating 36 scoring chances and the second most chances off of set pieces with 12.
What it Will Take to Beat North Carolina
The Courage looked to generate strong momentum after scoring in the 55th minute, however a stunning header by Tanaka ended North Carolina’s hope of securing a win. The fourth set piece goal came after Lacasse won and converted a penalty kick in second half stoppage time to seal all three points for the road team.
The Royals are looking to complete its third sweep of the season, the other two sweeps are Houston Dash and Orlando Pride. Since returning to the NWSL in 2024, the Royals are 2-2-1 (W-L-T) against the Courage with neither side having completed a sweep against each other.
Earlier this week, Coanraets talked about shutting down North Carolina’s top goal scorer and the NWSL Golden Boot leader, Ashley Sanchez. Since facing off against the Royals on July 25th, Sanchez has scored ten goals in ten games and has contributed toward seven goals in her last four away games (5 goals, 2 assists), with at least one goal involvement in each of those matches.
The clash between two playoff seated sides will take place at America First Field on Sunday with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. MT. Tickets are available at www.rsl.com/utahroyals/tickets/.
URFC Next Home Match: 9/27 @ America First Field
URFC takes on North Carolina Courage at home on Swig Sunday $3 drinks at the stadium! Secure your seats for an unforgettable match at America First Field.
