SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Utah Royals matched their longest win streak from last season on Saturday with a 2-0 win at Bay FC to make it three victories in a row for the surging NWSL side.
The win also extended the team’s unbeaten streak to seven games, setting a new club record that includes the Royals’ first stint in Utah from 2018-2020.
In keeping with the trend of firsts, rookie goalkeeper Mia Justus got her first clean sheet, filling in for Mandy McGlynn; forward Aisha Solorzano scored her first NWSL goal after more than 900 minutes on the pitch; and, finally, new Slovenian striker Lara Prasnikar made her debut for Utah off the bench in the second half.
Janni Thomsen scored the other goal for the Royals on Saturday — her second goal in as many games — to leapfrog Bay FC in the standings from 13th to 12th place. Utah is still 8 points out of the playoffs with four games remaining, but it only needs 4 more points to equal last year’s total, when the team finished in 11th place.
The Royals have had Bay FC’s number since the two expansion teams joined the NWSL last season, leading the head-to-head series with three wins and a draw.
The defensive effort, in particular, impressed head coach Jimmy Coenraets on Saturday, with the team’s fourth clean sheet during the seven-game unbeaten streak after earning just one over the previous 15 games.
“That’s growth in my opinion, growth we made as a unit, as a team,” Coenraets said. “Being able to just show up and, even if it’s not going from a football point of view, we have to make sure that we’re defending well and we’re clearing our lines.”
Utah stays on the road next week against last-place Chicago as the Royals look to continue the streak and perhaps make the teams above them sweat a little bit if the points keep coming.
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