Utah Royals FC End Losing Streak, Play Houston To Scoreless Draw

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Royals FC played to a scoreless draw against the Houston Dash at America First Field on Saturday.

Houston looked to have the early advantage but it never resulted in any points on the board.

The Royals finished with nine shots to Houston’s five. Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell ended with four saves.

Fulltime ends with +1 pic.twitter.com/JKszW56mTQ

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 28, 2024

Royals Dash

First Half

Utah’s game plan was clear from the opening kick.

The Royals pressed Houston in the backfield and did everything in their power to keep possession.

Through the first 15 minutes, the Dash had zero shot attempts. The Royals had one in this same stretch. Hannah Betfort took a shot from the center of the box but it missed to the left.

Setting the scene 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/njDVD2Cics

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 27, 2024

As the 20th minute passed, the game speed took a noticeable hit.

In the 23rd and 24th minutes, Paige Monaghan and Mikayla Cluff both got good shots off but the first was blocked and the second was saved by Campbell.

Utah shifted from a high-energy game plan to a much more patient one. This worked in Houston’s favor.

Over the next ten minutes, the Dash did their best to pick apart the Royal’s defense and keep the ball in their attacking third.

Houston executed well but Utah did an even better job of bending but not breaking.

Utah had back-to-back shot attempts again in the 37th and 38th minutes off the feet of Amandine Henry and Monaghan. Both missed to the left.

Monaghan was shown a yellow card for a foul in the 42nd minute.

The momentum seemed to swing back over to the Royals side late in the first half. Utah got one more good look before the break but Campbell made another tough save.

The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.

All to play for coming up next pic.twitter.com/LMqIV7jUar

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 28, 2024

Second Half

The second half was as defensive-minded as the first.

Neither Utah nor Houston could gain much of an edge as both sides began to get desperate for a goal.

The Royals took two shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half but both were saved.

From the 61st to 76th minutes, there were zero shot attempts and eight fouls called.

Henry took another shot from outside the box in the 78th minute but it was blocked.

Hannah Betfort went down with an injury in the 83rd minute and was promptly subbed out for Cameron Tucker.

The stifling defense continued for both sides as four minutes of stoppage time was added.

4 minutes ’til the final whistle! pic.twitter.com/B27vpvL5am

— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) April 28, 2024

Neither team could make some last-minute magic happen as the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

How To Watch Utah Royals FC, NWSL Matches

The Royals will play 26 games in the 2024 season.

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).

Like many other leagues, the NWSL broadcasts its games on a handful of channels and platforms.

TV options include CBS, ESPN, and ION network. Streaming options include Prime Video, Paramount+, ESPN+, and NWSL+.

Prime Video will specifically carry Friday night matches and ION network will have Saturday night double-headers.

NWSL+ is free for everyone in the U.S. and can be downloaded on Apple, Fire, and Roku TVs. Sign up for NWSL+ here.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

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