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LOS ANGELES — Spirits were at an all-time high last week with the Utah Royals after a third consecutive win and the first hat trick in club history from Cloe Lacasse.
The club came back down to Earth this weekend, however, as a Bay FC win on Saturday eliminated the Royals from playoff contention and Lacasse was taken off the field on a stretcher in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Angel City FC.
Utah was able to hang on for a 1-1 draw thanks to Claudia Zornoza's spectacular free-kick goal and some aggressive defending in the second half, despite depleted bench depth due to a double-digit injury list.
It's @claudiazornoza's birthday but she gifted US with this free kick goal ☄️🤩 pic.twitter.com/kUHDpDFRKj
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) October 21, 2024
Lacasse joined the growing list of unavailable Royals with a knee injury in the first half after a hard tackle and was unable to put any weight on the injured leg.
"We're looking at something which is less bad than what everyone is thinking at the minute," head coach Jimmy Coenraets said of the injury. "I think losing her had a very big impact on the game, in general, but everyone's wishing her the best and everyone wants her back as soon as possible."
Cameron Tucker replaced Lacasse in the 35th minute and helped the Utah offense to 21 total shots, including 10 on goal. The Angel City goal came on an acrobatic volley from veteran Sydney Leroux in the 57th minute.
"I definitely think that we left the winner on the table," Utah defender Madison Pogarch said. "But I think Angel City, to be fair to them, had some bits of momentum, as well. And so to ride those out defensively, I think we're pretty content with the draw."
The Royals are undefeated in their last four matches and will look to end the season on a high note with the finale at home on Nov. 1 against Gotham FC.
