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SALT LAKE CITY — In the semifinals of the World Cup against England, the USA’s Kelley O’Hara sent a long cross into the box. That's where Christen Press was waiting to head it into the goal.
Maybe when those two players return next week, the Utah Royals FC scoring drought will end.
For the third consecutive game, URFC was held without a goal. And for the second straight week, that led to a loss.
Sky Blue’s Jen Hoy scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, bending a ball past a diving Nicole Barnhart to give Sky Blue a shocking 1-0 win over the Utah Royals in New Jersey.
It was Utah’s fourth loss of the season to go along with five wins and two draws.
For the second straight week, the New Jersey-based club got a win after spending the first three months of the year winless.
While the Royals are still waiting on their three USA World Cup players to return — Press, O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn are expected back next week for a home match against the Portland Thorns — Utah did have all three of their non-American World Cup players back for Friday’s game.
Canada’s Desiree Scott, Scotland’s Rachel Corsie and New Zealand’s Katie Bowen were all back in the starting lineup for URFC.
It wasn’t a seamless reconnect, though. But after a slow start for the Royals looked like they were about to have a breakthrough,
Midway through the first half, Mandy Laddish played a long ball into Amy Rodriguez, freeing the forward onto goal. Rodriquez ran into the box with just the keeper to beat.
She beat her; she just didn’t beat the post.
Rodriguez’s shot hammered off the left post. The ball ricocheted back into the box where Royals FC's Gunny Jonsdottir controlled it but ended up sending it wide.
That play, though, seemed to change the flow of the game for the visitors. Before that, Sky Blue FC had all the dangerous chances, with one leading to a diving save by Barnhart and another strike being sent just left.
The long ball started to open up the game for URFC with Laddish and Scott providing services to Rodriguez and Erika Tymrak. Utah was able to get the ball into the attacking third but couldn’t find the elusive goal.
Utah hasn’t scored since Rodriguez had a wonder goal from long distance during URFC’s June 15th win. The Royals had just one shot on goal during Friday’s loss.
But even with Utah struggling to score, it still looked like they’d leave the East Coast with at least a point. Barnhart had two saves and punched away plenty others to safety, but she couldn’t get her hand on the last shot.
That’s when Hoy took a pass into the box and sent the Royals home with a second straight defeat.
