LaBonta, Rodriguez Give URFC Comfortable Lead On The Road
Aug 11, 2019, 3:54 PM
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
TACOMA, Wash. – Utah Royals FC midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta scored before Amy Rodriguez added to the score sheet eight minutes later to give the Royals a 3-1 lead.
The goal was scored in the 59th minute when LaBonta went down the middle of the field into the box and toe-touched it past the goalkeeper.
It’s the second goal of the season for the California native, who is in her fourth season as a professional and her first season with Utah Royals FC.
You already Lo pic.twitter.com/Gi7J3mPsa6
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 11, 2019
Rodriguez scored her team-best seventh goal of the season when Katie Stengal fired a shot with her right foot from 20 yards away, the goalkeeper couldn’t catch the ball and Rodriguez ran in and tapped the ball into the goal to give the Royals a 3-1 lead.
A-Rod pounces on the spill & makes the keeper pay! pic.twitter.com/89XBD78axL
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) August 11, 2019
The Royals took a very early lead with the goal coming in the third minute of play.
That goal was set up by Rodriguez who controlled possession on the right hand side and was slaloming through two Reign defenders and fired the shot from 5 yards out. The ball hit the keeper and bounced off the crossbar before Stengal tapped the ball in for her first goal of the season.
The Royals are coming off of a 3-0 win at home against Sky Blue FC on Wednesday, snapping a six match winless streak.
They are currently in seventh place in the NWSL standings with 21 points, tied with Washington for sixth, but the Spirit hold the tiebreaker.
Reign FC is in fourth place with 26 points.