2018 Utah Royals FC season
| 2018 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Dell Loy Hansen | ||
| Head coach | Laura Harvey | ||
| Stadium | Rio Tinto Stadium | ||
| NWSL | 5th | ||
| Top goalscorer | Katie Stengel (6) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 19,203 (Apr 14 vs. CHI) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 7,137 (May 9 vs. ORL) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 9,466 | ||
|
| |||
The 2018 Utah Royals FC season was the team's inaugural season, and its first in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States.[1][2]
Background
Non-competitive
Preseason
| March 3, 2018 Friendly | Utah Royals FC | v | BYU | Herriman, Utah |
| Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium |
| March 16, 2018 Friendly | UCLA | 1–4 | Utah Royals FC | Los Angeles, California |
| 9 AM PT | Sheehan 81' | Report |
|
Stadium: Frank Marshall Field |
Competitions
NWSL regular season
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Courage (C) | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 57 | NWSL Shield |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 42 | NWSL Playoffs |
| 3 | Seattle Reign FC | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 41 | |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 37 | |
| 5 | Utah Royals FC | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Houston Dash | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 32 | |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 37 | −7 | 30 | |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 24 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 12 | 35 | −23 | 11 | |
| 9 | Sky Blue FC | 24 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 52 | −31 | 9 |
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 24 | 35 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 16 | −5 |
Last updated: September 8, 2018
Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference
Results by round
Updated to match(es) played on September 8, 2018. Source: NWSLsoccer.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
- ^ UTA's position at the end of the matchweek, not the match itself.
Match results
March
| Sat 24 March 1 | Orlando Pride | 1–1 | Utah Royals FC | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:30 PM ET | Marta 21' (pen.) Krieger 90+3' |
Report | Jónsdóttir 3' (Matheson) Sauerbrunn 21' Ratcliffe 58' |
Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 9,017 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| Fri 30 March 2 | Houston Dash | 0–0 | Utah Royals FC | Houston, Texas |
| 7 PM CT | Report | Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 3,433 |
April
| Sat 14 April 3 | Utah Royals FC | 0–1 | Chicago Red Stars | Sandy, Utah |
| 1:30 PM MT | Report | Colaprico 27' | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 19,203 | |
| Note: Televised on Lifetime. | ||||
| Sat 21 April 4 | North Carolina Courage | 2–2 | Utah Royals FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 3:30 PM ET | Mathias 6' Hamilton 17' Dunn 80' Dahlkemper 87' |
Report | Ratcliffe 28' 66' Stengel 52' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,958 Referee: Jon Fremon |
| Note: Televised on Lifetime. | ||||
| Sat 28 April 5 | Utah Royals FC | 1–1 | Portland Thorns FC | Sandy, Utah |
| 7 PM MT | Rodriguez 53' Jonsdottir 49' Scott 85' |
Report | Heath 67' (Sinclair) Purce 36' |
Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,446 |
May
| Sat 5 May 6 | Utah Royals FC | 2–0 | Washington Spirit | Sandy, Utah |
| 7 PM MT | O’Hara 7' Sauerbrunn 15' Matheson 66' |
Report | Smith 72' | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 7,551 Referee: Reyna Fonseca |
| Wed 9 May 7 | Utah Royals FC | 0–0 | Orlando Pride | Sandy, Utah |
| 7 PM MT | Gorry 86' | Report | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 7,137 |
| Sat 19 May 8 | Utah Royals FC | 1–0 | Houston Dash | Sandy, Utah |
| 1:30 PM MT | Elby 9' Tymrak 51' Matheson 55' |
Report | Daly 12' | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,323 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
| Note: Televised on Lifetime. | ||||
| Fri 25 May 9 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–0 | Utah Royals FC | Portland, Oregon |
| Sinclair 18' Horan 39', 67' |
Report | Corsie 69' Jónsdóttir 83' |
Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 15,113 Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
June
| Sat 2 June 10 | Sky Blue FC | 1–2 | Utah Royals FC | Piscataway, New Jersey |
| 7 PM ET | Groom 10' Tiernan 92+' |
Report | Matheson 3' Freeman 85' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 2,229 Referee: Lorant Varga |
| Sat 16 June 11 | North Carolina Courage | 0–1 | Utah Royals FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7 PM ET | Report | Scott 26' Ratcliffe 90+4' |
Stadium: Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 5,164 |
| Sat 23 June 12 | Chicago Red Stars | 2–0 | Utah Royals FC | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| 7 PM ET | Naughton 62' (Colaprico) DiBernardo 70' (Kerr) Nagasato 87' |
Report | Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 3,317 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| Wed 27 June 13 | Utah Royals FC | 0–0 | Seattle Reign FC | Sandy, Utah |
| 8 PM MT | Report | Catley 59' | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,504 |
| Sat 30 June 14 | Utah Royals FC | 3–1 | Sky Blue FC | Sandy, Utah |
| 8 PM MT | Press 7' Stengel 25' (Press), 29' (Gorry) |
Report | Lloyd 62' (Dorsey) | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,394 |
July
| Fri 6 July 15 | Portland Thorns FC | 4–0 | Utah Royals FC | Portland, Oregon |
| 8 PM PT | Heath 2' (Crnogorčević) Horan 32' (Heath) Crnogorčević 34' Lussi 62' (Horan) |
Report | Johnson 31' Matheson 45' |
Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 17, 930 |
| Wed 11 July 16 | Seattle Reign FC | 1–0 | Utah Royals FC | Seattle, Washington |
| 7:30 PM PT | Long 45+2' Rapinoe 54' (Catley) |
Report | Johnson 12' Corsie 45+2' Jónsdótti 66' |
Stadium: Memorial Stadium (Seattle) Attendance: 3,191 |
| Sat 14 July 17 | Utah Royals FC | 1–2 | Orlando Pride | Sandy, Utah |
| 5:00 PM PT | Rodriguez 8' (Corsie) | Report | Hill 24' Morgan 45+2' (pen.) Edmonds 52' (Krieger) Kennedy 68' Ubogagu 75' Camila 89' |
Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,761 |
| Note: Televised on ESPNews. | ||||
| Fri 20 July 18 | Utah Royals FC | 0–0 | North Carolina Courage | Sandy, Utah |
| 8 PM PT | Report | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,529 Referee: Christina Unkel |
August
| Sun 5 August 19 | Houston Dash | 1–2 | Utah Royals FC | Houston, Texas |
| 7:30 PM CT | Latsko 41' (Huerta) Huerta 48' |
Report | Press 77' Stengel 83' (Tymrak) |
Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 3,907 |
| Wed 8 August 20 | Utah Royals FC | 1–0 | Washington Spirit | Sandy, Utah |
| 8 PM MT | Stengel 74' (Lytle) | Report | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,154 |
| Sat 11 August 21 | Utah Royals FC | 0–1 | Seattle Reign FC | Sandy, Utah |
| 1:30 PM MT | Fishlock 48' (Oyster) 74' | Report | Moros 90' | Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 8,740 |
| Note: Televised on Lifetime. | ||||
| Sat 18 August 22 | Sky Blue FC | 2–2 | Utah Royals FC | Piscataway, New Jersey |
| 7 PM ET | Johnson 14' (Rodriguez), 48' Killion 39' Lloyd 69' Tiernan 76' |
Report | Richardson 58' (o.g.) Rodriguez 90+4' (Press) |
Stadium: Yurcak Field Attendance: 3,468 |
| Wed 22 August 23 | Washington Spirit | 0–1 | Utah Royals FC | Boyds, Maryland |
| 7:30 PM ET | Report | Rodriguez 12' Corsie 17' |
Stadium: Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 3,318 |
September
| Sat 8 September 24 | Utah Royals FC | 2–1 | Chicago Red Stars | Sandy, Utah |
| 1:30 PM MT | Rodriguez 55' (Bowen) Stengel 64' (Lytle) |
Report | Gilliland 17' Stanton 25' Kerr 39' (Gilliland) |
Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 11,851 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza |
Stats
- As of September 8, 2018.[3]
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Honors and awards
NWSL season awards
- Defender of the Year: Becky Sauerbrunn[4]
- Best XI: Becky Sauerbrunn[5]
NWSL Team of the Month
| Month | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | Becky Sauerbrunn | Gunnhildur Jonsdottir | [6] | ||
| April | Becky Sauerbrunn | [7] | |||
| May | Abby Smith | Becky Sauerbrunn | [8] | ||
| June | Becca Moros Becky Sauerbrunn |
[9] | |||
| July | Rachel Corsie | [10] |
NWSL weekly awards
Goal of the Week
| Week | Result | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Won | Gunnhildur Jonsdottir | [11] |
| 4 | Nominated | Brittany Ratcliffe | [12] |
| 5 | Nominated | Amy Rodriguez | [13] |
| 6 | Won | Diana Matheson | [14] |
| 8 | Nominated | Erika Tymrak | [15] |
| 11/12 | Won | Brittany Ratcliffe | [16] |
| 19 | Won | Katie Stengel | [17] |
| 20 | Nominated | Katie Stengel | [18] |
| 21 | Nominated | Amy Rodriguez | [19] |
| 24 | Nominated | Amy Rodriguez | [20] |
Save of the Week
| Week | Result | Player(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Nominated | Abby Smith | [21] |
| 9 | Nominated | Abby Smith and Becky Sauerbrunn | [22] |
| 16 | Won | Rachel Corsie | [23] |
| 17 | Won | Rachel Corsie | [24] |
| 20 | Nominated | Abby Smith | [25] |
| 24 | Won | Nicole Barnhart | [26] |
Club
Roster
- As of July 20, 2018.[27][28] Age calculated as of the start of the 2018 season. All players were in their first year with the club and signed in 2018.
| No. | Name | Nat. | Pos. | Date of birth (age) | Previous team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abby Smith | USA | GK | October 4, 1993 (aged 24) | Boston Breakers |
| 2 | Rachel Corsie | SCO | DF | August 17, 1989 (aged 28) | Seattle Reign |
| 3 | Rebecca Moros | USA | DF | May 6, 1985 (aged 32) | FC Kansas City |
| 4 | Becky Sauerbrunn | USA | DF | June 6, 1985 (aged 32) | FC Kansas City |
| 5 | Kelley O'Hara | USA | DF | August 4, 1988 (aged 29) | Sky Blue FC |
| 6 | Katie Bowen | NZL | DF | April 15, 1994 (aged 23) | FC Kansas City |
| 7 | Mandy Laddish | USA | MF | May 13, 1992 (aged 25) | FC Kansas City |
| 8 | Amy Rodriguez | USA | FW | February 17, 1987 (aged 31) | FC Kansas City |
| 9 | Lo'eau LaBonta | USA | MF | March 18, 1993 (aged 25) | FC Kansas City |
| 10 | Diana Matheson | CAN | MF | April 6, 1984 (aged 34) | Seattle Reign FC |
| 11 | Desiree Scott | CAN | MF | July 31, 1987 (aged 30) | FC Kansas City |
| 12 | Taylor Lytle | USA | MF | March 31, 1989 (aged 29) | Sky Blue FC |
| 13 | Makenzy Doniak | USA | FW | February 25, 1994 (aged 24) | North Carolina Courage |
| 14 | Alex Arlitt | USA | DF | August 25, 1993 (aged 24) | FC Kansas City |
| 15 | Erika Tymrak | USA | MF | August 7, 1991 (aged 26) | FC Kansas City |
| 16 | Samantha Johnson | USA | DF | June 10, 1991 (aged 26) | Chicago Red Stars |
| 17 | Sydney Miramontez | USA | DF | October 11, 1994 (aged 23) | FC Kansas City |
| 18 | Nicole Barnhart | USA | GK | October 10, 1981 (aged 36) | FC Kansas City |
| 19 | Katrina Gorry | AUS | MF | August 13, 1992 (aged 25) | Brisbane Roar |
| 20 | Elise Thorsnes | NOR | FW | August 14, 1988 (aged 29) | Avaldsnes |
| 21 | Christen Press | USA | FW | December 29, 1988 (aged 29) | Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC |
| 23 | Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir | ISL | MF | September 28, 1988 (aged 29) | Vålerenga |
| 24 | Katie Stengel | USA | FW | February 29, 1992 (aged 26) | Boston Breakers |
| 25 | Brittany Ratcliffe | USA | FW | February 7, 1994 (aged 24) | FC Kansas City |
Transfers
- As of July 19, 2018.[27]
In
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club | Fees/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 18, 2018 | FW | USA | Christen Press | Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC | Acquired in a three-team trade with Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash. | [29] |
| DF | USA | Samantha Johnson | Chicago Red Stars | |||
| June 28, 2018 | FW | USA | Makenzy Doniak | North Carolina Courage | Acquired in trade with the North Carolina Courage for the rights to Heather O'Reilly. | [30] |
Out
| Player | Position | Destination club | Fees/notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa Newfield | MF | unattached | Released | 07/19/18 |
| Maegan Kelly | MF | unattached | Released | 06/20/18 |
| E.J. Proctor | GK | unattached | Released | 06/20/18 |
| Brooke Elby | MF | Chicago Red Stars | Three team trade with the Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash | 06/18/18 |
- Notes
Trialist
| Player | Position | Previous team | Notes | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Isom | Defender | Brigham Young University | 2018 NWSL College Draft pick #14 | 01/18/18 | |
| E.J. Proctor | Goalkeeper | Duke University | 2018 NWSL College Draft pick #34 | 01/18/18 |
See also
References
- ^ "Utah Royals are off to a fast start at the box office". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ "Here's everything you need to know about the Utah Royals' women's soccer league, the NWSL". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ "Stats". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Purdy, Jacqueline (September 16, 2018). "2018 NWSL Awards Finalists". NWSLsoccer.com. NWSL. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ "2018 NWSL Best XI and Second XI announced". Nwslsoccer.com. September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ Balf, Celia (April 6, 2018). "March Team of the Month". NWSLsoccer. NWSL. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ Purdy, Jacqueline (May 3, 2018). "April Team of the Month". NWSLsoccer.com. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
- ^ Balf, Celia (June 6, 2018). "May Team of the Month". NWSLsoccer.com. NWSL. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ Purdy, Jacqueline (July 6, 2018). "June Team of the Month". NWSLsoccer.com. NWSL. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "July Team of the Month". August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- ^ "Vote: Goal of the Week". National Women's Soccer League. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ "Vote: Goal of the Week". National Women's Soccer League. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ "Week 5 Goal of the Week nominees". National Women's Soccer League. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "Vote: Goal of the Week". National Women's Soccer League. May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Balf, Celia (May 21, 2018). "Vote: Goal of the Week". NWSL. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ Balf, Celia (June 19, 2018). "Goal of the Week: Brittany Ratcliffe". NWSL. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- ^ "Goal of the Week: Katie Stengel". August 7, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
- ^ "Goal of the Week Nominees: Week 20". August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Goal of the Week Nominees: Week 21". August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "Goal of the Week Nominees: Week 24". September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ "Week 5 Save of the Week nominees". NWSL. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "Vote: Save of the Week". National Women's Soccer League. May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ "Save of the Week: Rachel Corsie". NWSL. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "Save of the Week: Rachel Corsie". NWSL. July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ "Week 20 Save of the Week nominees". NWSL. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ "Week 24 Save of the Week". September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ a b "Canadian WNT Standout Desiree Scott, "The Destroyer," Officially Commits to Utah Royals FC". rsl.com. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "Utah Royals Players". Utah Royals FC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Utah Royals FC Acquire Rights to USWNT FW Christen Press Plus DF Samantha Johnson From Chicago Red Stars". rsl.com. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ^ "North Carolina Courage sign Heather O'Reilly after trade with Utah Royals FC". June 28, 2018. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2018.