SANDY, Utah. (Sunday, November 2, 2025) – Utah Royals FC (6-13-7, 25 points, 12th NWSL) clinch the win 1-0 at American First Field in front of 9,170 fans against Washington Spirit (12-6-8, 44 points, 2nd NWSL), with a goal early in the first half and aggressive playing the remainder of the match, ending the Royals’ 2025 season on a high.
Utah Royals FC head coach Jimmy Coenraets entered today’s match with one adjustment to last match’s starting lineup. Keeping the same formation from last match against Seattle Reign FC, Head Coach Coenraets opted to start Lara Prašnikar for Guatemalan international Aisha Solórzano, who is out with an injury, marking Prašnikar’s first start with the Royals and making history by being the first Slovenian to start an NWSL match.
The Royals opened the match with intensity, as captain Paige Monaghan found the back of the net in the fourth minute, slotting her shot into the right side of the goal to give Utah early momentum. The goal marked Monaghan’s seventh goal contribution in the last nine matches. Prašnikar notched her first NWSL assist becoming the first Slovenian player to record an assist in league history.
URFC kept the pressure throughout the first half, with shots on target from Prašnikar in the 29th minute, Monaghan in the 31st, and defender Kate Del Fava in the 40th. Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn came up big just before halftime, making a key save in the 44th minute to preserve the Royals’ advantage heading into the break. The Royals ended the first half of the game with a 1-0 lead with more shots on goal than rival Washington Spirit.
The second half of the match started with a flurry of shots calling substitute goalkeeper Sandy MacIver into action often. On the other end of the pitch, McGlynn recorded yet another save to preserve the shutout.
Spanish midfielder Claudia Zornoza was subbed off in the 78th minute to thundering applause, marking the final appearance of her 17-year career. Monaghan exited in the 83rd minute after sustaining a concussion. McGlynn made a crucial save in the 85th minute to preserve the Royals’ lead, her 86th of the season, setting a new single-season career high. A late shot on goal by Mina Tanaka in the 90th minute capped off the match, as the Royals finished with 8 shots, surpassing their season average of 11.8.
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UTA 1:0 WAS
UTA: Paige Monaghan (Lara Prašnikar) 4’ — Just four minutes into the match, Utah Royals captain Monaghan opened the scoring after receiving a precise pass from Slovenian international Prašnikar. Monaghan took a confident touch inside the 18-yard box before rifling a shot past the Spirit goalkeeper to give Utah the early lead-marking Prašnikar’s first NWSL assist of her career.
LINEUPS:
Utah Royals FC (4-2-3-1): Mandy McGlynn; Janni Thomsen (Imani Dorsey 71’), Kate Del Fava, Ana Tejada, Nuria Rábano (Madison Pogarch 71’); Aria Nagai (Lauren Flynn 45’), Claudia Zornoza (Dana Foederer 78’); Mina Tanaka, Paige Monaghan © (Bianca St-Georges 83’), Cloé Lacasse (Brecken Mozingo 61’); Lara Prašnikar
Subs not used: DeAira Jackson, Lauren Gogal, Cece Kizer
Head Coach: Jimmy Coenraets
Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1): Aubrey Kingsbury © (Sandy Maclver 45’), Rebeca Bernal, Kate Wiesner, Tara McKeown (Esme Morgan 45’), Paige Metayer (Kysha Sylla 61’); Narumi Miura, Hal Hershfelt; Heather Stainbrook, Brittany Ratcliffe, Courtney Brown (Gabby Carle 45); Sofia Contore
Subs not used: Kaylie Collins
Head Coach: Adrian Gonzalez
Stats Summary: UTA / WAS
Possession: 50 / 50
Shots: 18 / 9
Shots on Goal: 7 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 6
Fouls: 15 / 8
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
WAS: Tara McKeown (Yellow Card, 34’)
UTA: Paige Monaghan (Yellow Card, 68’)
WAS: Narumi Miura (Yellow Card, 89’)
UTA: Dana Foederer (Yellow Card, 90 +4’)
