SAN JOSE, California (Saturday, September 27, 2025) – Utah Royals FC (5-11-6, 21 points, 12th NWSL) defeated Bay FC (4-11-7, 19 points, 13th NWSL) in a contest that was decided in the first twenty minutes of the first half to extend the Royals’ unbeaten run to seven games.
Utah Royals head coach Jimmy Coenraets entered tonight’s match with two major changes to the starting XI that guided the club to a statement 3-2 home win over Racing Louisville FC. Clinical shot-stopper Mia Justus made her second start of the season, replacing Mandy McGlynn, while Madison Pogarch filled in at right back for the unavailable Nuria Rábano.
Justus quickly made her presence felt, producing a magnificent save in the opening 30 seconds following a defensive blunder by the Royals. Despite the early lapse in focus, the Royals struck just before the 10-minute mark to claim its third consecutive first-half lead. Janni Thomsen fired a driven shot into the bottom corner, scoring for the second straight match. Captain Paige Monaghan provided the assist, extending her goal-contribution streak to five games—three goals and two assists—matching Christen Press’ 2019 record as the only other Royal to achieve the feat in club history.
As if one goal weren’t enough, the girls in gold remained fired up, continuing to pressure Bay’s back line. Less than ten minutes after Thomsen’s opener, the Royals put on an impressive one-touch display in the attacking half through Ana Tejada, Cloé Lacasse, and Mina Tanaka. After a series of deflections inside the 18’, Aisha Solorzano buried her first goal in a Royals uniform, doubling the lead.
Solorzano’s goal made her the first Guatemalan player to score in NWSL history, representing the 25th country to find the back of the net in the league this season. Her strike also stood as the 400th goal of the NWSL campaign.
For the majority of the first 45 minutes, Bay FC fought to get back into the game, but the quality of the Royals’ players proved too much to overcome. Each Utah attack carried the promise of adding to the lead. The visiting side’s midfield, led by Tejada and Claudia Zornoza, played a key role in maintaining defensive structure while also offering options in attack. Regardless of both teams’ efforts for the remainder of the half, the score held steady, and the Royals headed into the locker room with a 2-0 advantage.
Unfortunately for the home side, the threats in its own half persisted at the start of the second period of play, with Lacasse coming inches away from adding another goal off a Monaghan cross. In the 54th minute, the Royals introduced its newest signing, Lara Prašnikar, who made her official debut for the club, becoming the first Slovenian to play in the NWSL.
The two-goal lead put the Royals in a strong position to see out the rest of the game, but Bay FC wasn’t ready to go down without a fight. The visitors mounted a dangerous attack down the left flank, sending a cross into the box that led to a header, forcing a diving, one-handed save from Justus to preserve the clean sheet.
The rest of the second half favored the Royals, as Bay FC rarely threatened the scoreline. Although the hosts dominated possession at times, it failed to create any clear scoring chances, allowing the Royals to secure a vital three points against an opponent it has yet to lose to since returning to the NWSL in 2024.
This result extended the club’s unbeaten run to seven games, including three consecutive wins and four victories in five matches. The Royals will play its second straight away game on Sunday, October 5, visiting the Chicago Stars at SeatGeek Stadium, with kickoff set for 2:00 MT.
UTA: Janni Thomsen (Paige Monaghan) 9’: Monaghan received the ball in Bay’s half, opened up and passed out wide to Thomsen who controlled the ball with one touch then drove a clean strike into the bottom right corner of the keeper’s net.
UTA: Aisha Solorzano (Unassisted) 18’: From a throw-in, the Royals pieced together a threatening sequence in the final third with precise one-touch passing into the 18-yard box where a deflected shot from Tanaka fell to Solorzano, whose initial effort was blocked back to her and she pounced on the rebound and fired again, through the legs of the keeper to extend the lead.
Utah Royals FC (4-2-3-1): Mia Justus; Janni Thomsen, Kate Del Fava, Kaleigh Riehl, Madison Pogarch (Imani Dorsey, 83’); Ana Tejada (Aria Nagai, 54’), Claudia Zornoza; Paige Monaghan © (Bianca St-Georges, 75’), Mina Tanaka, Cloé Lacasse (Brecken Mozingo, 83’); Aisha Solórzano (Lara Prašnikar, 54’)
Subs not used: Mandy McGlynn, Dana Foederer, KK Ream, Lauren Flynn
Head Coach: Jimmy Coenraets
Bay FC (4-2-3-1): Jordan Silkowitz; Caprice Dydasco, Sydney Collins, Brooklyn Courtnall, Alyssa Malonson; Kiki Pickett (Hannah Bebar, 66’), Dorian Bailey (Maddie Moreau, 88’); Taylor Huff; Racheal Kundananji, Rachel Hill © (Penelope Hocking, 66’); Karlie Lema (Tess Boade, 66’)
Subs not used: Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Catherine Paulson, Joelle Anderson, Emmie Allen
Head Coach: Albertin Montoya
UTA: Aisha Solorzano (Yellow Card, 13’)
BAY: Kiki Pickett (Yellow Card, 25’)
UTA: Ana Tejada (Yellow Card, 39’)
BAY: Rachel Hill (Yellow Card, 44’)
BAY: Racheal Kundananji (Yellow Card, 78’)
UTA: Mia Justus (Yellow Card, 82’)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rsl.com ’
