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- The Utah Royals secured their first win of the season against the Chicago Stars.
- Ally Sentnor scored a stoppage-time penalty, breaking a 318-minute scoring drought.
- The match marked the first under new ownership and also featured Cece Kizer's debut.
SANDY — The winless streak stretched deep into the fifth game of the season for the Utah Royals, and it took until the 10th minute of stoppage time to find a game-winner Friday against the Chicago Stars at America First Field to win 1-0.
Dana Foederer went down in the box midway through what was supposed to be nine minutes of stoppage time, and the referee ruled a penalty on the Stars after a video review. Ally Sentnor calmly stepped up and buried the shot against former U.S. national team starter Alyssa Naeher.
It was the first penalty of the year for Utah and the first goal of Sentnor's second season in the NWSL. The late winner also broke a 318-minute scoring drought for the Royals, dating back to March 22 in San Diego.
LATE GAME HEROICS FOR THE ROYALS 👑
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) April 19, 2025
Ally Sentnor steps up and buries a PK in the 99th minute 😱 pic.twitter.com/4akn234Nrs
"It feels like a weight is lifted off our shoulders," goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn said. "This is the team we always knew that we were. We wanted to fight to the very last minute, and that's what we did. I'm super proud of this group. It was a full team effort tonight."
It was also the first shutout of the season for McGlynn and the Utah defense, which had allowed eight goals through four games to open the 2025 season.
As the parade of "firsts" continues, Friday also marked the inaugural soccer match for RSL and the Royals under new majority owner Miller Sports and Entertainment, led by chairman and governor Steve Miller.
"It was a lot of new things for this group, and they reacted really well to it," head coach Jimmy Coenraets said after the match. "And I think that's the thing that I'm the most happy about, to be honest."
Perhaps the most impressive first, however, was the debut of attacking midfielder Cece Kizer just hours after being announced as the latest signing by Utah earlier Friday. Coenraets said she flew to Utah on Thursday and made her debut off the bench without a single training session with the Royals.
Kizer nearly made her debut all the more memorable with a header attempt late in the first half, but came up short; and the fate of the match was left up to a video review and Sentnor's right foot from the penalty spot.
"I already had the mindset that she was putting it in the back of the net," McGlynn said. "Because I believed that, I believe in her and I believed that we were going to win tonight."
The Royals head to Houston next as they look to turn the first win into a run of wins on Friday, April 25, at 6 p.m. MDT.
