The Utah Royals return the RioT this Saturday to face the Washington Spirit, here’s what you need to know:
1. The Royals are sitting in 7th in the NWSL with 4 points with a record of 0-4-1, and are looking for that elusive first franchise win. The Royals have held a lead or scored first in 3 of their 4 draws but haven’t been able to hold on, giving up 3 goals in less than 20 minutes after scoring against Orlando, North Carolina, and Portland. Head coach Laura Harvey is 10-4-1 against the Spirit all-time.
2. Amy Rodriguez got her first start for Utah last Saturday against the Portland Thorns and scored in the 53rd minute, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead over the defending NWSL Champions. Amy’s goal was the first home goal in Utah Royals history.
Cool as a cucumber 😎 pic.twitter.com/cRdaEfWHZX
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 1, 2018
After the match, head coach Laura Harvey joined the media to discuss the impact Amy has on the team.
Catch Laura’s full post-game press conference here and Amy’s here.
3. The Washington Spirit sit in 6th place, just above URFC, with 5 points and a record of 1-2-2. The Spirit has given up 8 goals in their 5 games with losses against North Carolina and Seattle Reign. Mallory Pugh and Fransisca Ordega lead the team with 5 combined goals this season. Washington is winless on the road, with 1 loss at Seattle Reign and 1 draw at Portland Thorns.
The Utah Royals kick-off against the Washington Spirit at 7 PM on Saturday, May, 5th on ESPN700.
