PORTLAND – The Utah Royals not only picked up their second win of the season on Friday against the Portland Thorns, but some history was made along the way.
Paige Monaghan gave Utah the lead in the first half. Fast forward to near the end of regulation, 16-year-old Utah native Kherrington Ream checked in and found the back of the net herself.
That goal made her the youngest goal scorer in NWSL history.
Portland can keep it weird. We’ll keep these 3 points!! pic.twitter.com/IVmLbLs5sa
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 30, 2025
First Half
Similar to the last match against Gotham, Utah’s back line was tested early and often against the Thorns.
Portland fired off six shots in the opening five minutes. Two missed, two were blocked, and two forced saves from Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn.
Utah’s defense has turned a corner this month, limiting every opponent in August to no more than a single goal. That trend continued on Friday.
After surviving the early barrage, the Royals were able to open the scoring. Monaghan went on a run, and Claudia Zornoza found her with an excellent lead pass. After popping the ball over the closest defender, Monaghan found the bottom right corner.
Over the defender and into the net for Paige’s first of the season!! pic.twitter.com/k0YqZKfKqk
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 30, 2025
The goal was Monaghan’s first of the year.
Portland responded after the 30th minute, stringing together three shots in two minutes. One missed, and McGlynn saved the other two.
To close the half, Utah actually led in shot attempts. However, no attack really threatened the opposing defense.
After five minutes of stoppage time, the first-half whistle was blown, and the Royals took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
Leading at the half! pic.twitter.com/riYc9sk2vo
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 30, 2025
Second Half
Good defense, better offense is a well-known phrase in sports.
The opposite was true in Providence Park. The Thorns’ attack remained strong, but the Royals’ back line was even stronger.
Portland added seven shots to its total through the first 30 minutes of the second half. Many of them were a post hit or a missed save away from equalizing. But Utah continued to make the plays when they were needed.
In the 80th minute, Zornoza and Monaghan were replaced by Ream and Ana Tejada. The fresh feet gave Utah a much-needed boost. In the following five minutes, the Royals took three shots, with two of them requiring saves. The fourth look finally broke the defense, as Ream was there to clean up back-to-back misses from Bianca St-Georges and Mina Tanaka.
The Utah kid @KKReam_19 scores her first professional goal for her home team 🥹💛 pic.twitter.com/2BPnCiS7P6
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 30, 2025
The goal wasn’t just Reams’ first, or the youngest by a Royals player — it made her the youngest player ever to score a goal in NWSL history.
Portland’s Julie Dufourulled one back in the 97th minute, but it ended up being too little, too late.
Utah picked up its second victory of the season and got back in the win column since April with the 2-1 result in Portland.
Follow the Utah Royals with KSL Sports
The Utah Royals will stay on the road to take on the North Carolina on Saturday, September 6. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. MT.
Live radio calls of every game can be found on KSLSports.com. Select games will be broadcast on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM/1160 AM).
Find KSL Sports coverage of the Utah Royals here.
Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.
Take us with you wherever you go.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source kslsports.com ’
