Winless in 3 matches, Utah Royals are 'hungry, thirsty' for goals

SANDY — Through three games of their inaugural season, the Utah Royals have boasted a strong back line, allowing just two goals—including only one from the run of play.

But on the offensive end, the new team hasn’t been so lucky.

Aside from an early goal by midfielder Gunny Jonsdottir in the season opener of a 1-1 draw at Orlando, the Royals’ attacking corps has been shut out. The newest club in the National Women’s Soccer League hasn’t scored in 267 minutes of regulation play, and a strong defense has only taken the team so far in a 0-2-1 start to the season.

Like most sporting dilemmas, the reasons for the lack of production are multiple. But the excuses aren’t for the Royals.

“There are a lot of factors. But at the end of the day, we have to get it together offensively,” Utah midfielder Erika Tymrak said. “We’ve focused a lot on defense and buildup, and now it’s time to focus on the offense a bit.

“We need to be thirsty and hungry, and take advantage of any chance we get.”

Chemistry and health have played into Utah’s scoring woes, certainly. Amy Rodriguez, the team’s goal-scoring U.S. international, returned to the field in the 77th minute of a 1-0 loss to Chicago for the first time since the first game of the 2017 season at FC Kansas City. Rodriguez, who scored 30 goals for the U.S. women’s national team since 2005, has been openly needed by Utah coach Laura Harvey and others around the organization.

“I can’t have asked for a better recovery. No issues, no pain. That’s all I can ask for right now,” Rodriguez said.

“I’m going to try to hit the ground running and help the team the best that I can.”

The Royals have just one goal on the season, a third-minute stunner by Jonsdottir in the season opener at Orlando, and rank among the worst teams in the league in goal-scoring margin. Only New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC ranks behind Utah in goals scored, having failed to find the back of the net in two matches.

Utah’s next opponent—the Royals meet league-leading North Carolina at 1:30 p.m. MDT Saturday in the NWSL’s game of the week on Lifetime—is treading in the opposite direction.

The Courage (4-0) boasts a league-best seven goals and seven assists, including a 2-0 home win over Seattle Reign FC on Wednesday. Jessica McDonald and McCall Zerboni rank in the top five in offensive output with two goals apiece, while head coach Paul Riley’s side has put up an eye-popping 60 shots, including 20 shots by former Pepperdine star Lynn Williams.

“They’re athletic. They have an attitude that they want to defend and be hard to beat—but then they want to expose you going forward,” Harvey said of North Carolina. “When they win it, they want to go forward very quickly and they have a lot of pace across the front line and midfield to transition quickly and get at you. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”

North Carolina has also stayed atop the league with minimal contributions from one of the country’s biggest stars, U.S. international Crystal Dunn. The 25-year-old fullback played with Chelseas Ladies in England a year ago but returned to the NWSL in the offseason and found her way to North Carolina via a trade that sent former BYU striker Ashley Hatch to the Washington Spirit.

Through four games with the Courage, Dunn has just one goal and one assist on four shots. Instead, North Carolina is relying on a dominant front that includes Zerboni, McDonald and Williams peppering teams with shots, mostly on a counterattack.

“North Carolina has a pretty solid team,” said Utah's Lo'eau Labonta, who is entering her fourth season in the league. “There’s nothing crazy that makes them stand out, with crazy players that will crush anyone. But North Carolina plays as a team, wins their individual battle and they play for each other.”

The Royals’ calling card has been their defense.

That’s to be expected from a club that relies on U.S. international Becky Sauerbrunn and Scottish captain Rachel Corsie—as well as goalkeeper Abby Smith—the Royals have allowed just two goals, and one from the run of play, to rate among the top defenses in the NWSL.

But on the other end, the Royals’ attack has struggled to finish chances. A team that has created 25 shots on goal has failed to convert on all but one of them, and no good defense can stand forever without help from its offense.

It’s not a surprise to the club’s attacking presence.

“We’re all very aware that we need to score more goals if we want to start getting more points,” Matheson said. “It’s on the front of everyone’s mind.”

Chances have come recently, too. The Royals out-shot Chicago 13-10 in the Red Stars’ 1-0 win last Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium—but just one of those shots was on frame, compared to two for the Red Stars.

“The more shots on goal you get, the more opportunities we have to score. So we just need to keep producing them,” Utah forward Katie Stengel said.

“Sometimes luck just isn’t on your side, or the goalkeeper comes up big. You can’t always score a million goals. We’re just waiting for that moment.”

Even one or two better finishes would paint Utah’s season in a new light.

“Chicago had more of the ball—but we probably created more chances,” said Matheson, who assisted on the club’s lone goal of the season. “At the end of the day, if we put one or two of those in, it’s a completely different feeling. I think people come away from the game really positive then.”

Finding the back of the net is important for the NWSL’s newest squad; you have to score goals to win games, Stengel sardonically proclaimed.

“We all know that we have to score more than the other team to win. It’s that simple,” Stengel said. “But we’ve focused on having a strong defensive presence, and we feel the offense is going to come the more we get used to playing with each other.”

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