Utah Royals FC Visits Nation's Capitol to Take on Washington Spirit

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NWSL Utah Royals FC

Utah Royals FC Visits Nation's Capitol to Take on Washington Spirit

May 16, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Utah Royals FC News Release


HERRIMAN, Utah - Utah Royals FC (1-6-1, 4 pts, 13th NWSL) visit Washington DC to take on the Washington Spirit (5-3-0, 15 pts, 3rd NWSL) on Saturday, May 17th at 5:30 p.m. MT at Audi Field.

The Utah Royals enter this weekend's match following a 2-0 away loss to Angel City FC, who scored two second-half goals to secure the win. Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets made one change to the lineup, opting to start Mina Tanaka in place of teenager KK Ream. Utah also returned to the familiar 4-2-3-1 formation after changing it for the match against North Carolina. The game marked midfielder Alex Loera's debut for the Royals and her first appearance since tearing an ACL last season when she took the field in the 84th minute. Defender Lauren Flynn earned a second consecutive start, having only returned from months of injury three games ago.

The first meeting between these two sides in the 2024 season took place in Washington, D.C., on March 31 during Utah's first road trip of the NWSL campaign. The Spirit came away with a 2-1 victory after scoring twice in the first half. Dana Foederer later connected with Ally Sentnor at the top of the box, who dribbled past several defenders before firing a shot past Aubrey Kingsbury in the 71st minute. Utah was unable to find a second goal. In the return match in Sandy, the Spirit once again prevailed, handing the Royals a 1-0 home defeat. Washington took an early lead once more, this time through then-rookie Kate Wiesner, who found the net in the 26th minute. Utah was again unable to equalize.

UTA v WAS MATCH NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

WATCH LIVE on ION with JP Dellacamera and Jill Loyden :: Utah Royals FC vs Washington Spirit | Audi Field | 7:30 p.m. MT

OR

LISTEN via KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 7:00 p.m. MT

Washington enters this match after earning a 3-2 away victory over Chicago Stars FC. In a thrilling back-and-forth contest, the Spirit took the lead three times, with the Stars equalizing after the first two. Washington has now scored three goals in each of the last two matches but has also conceded six during that span. The 2024 NWSL Championship finalist currently sits in third place on the league table after eight matches, with five wins and three losses. Over the last five matches, Washington earned a road win over Racing Louisville, then traveled to Orlando to hand the Pride a first loss of the season. That strong run was followed by back-to-back defeats, first against Gotham FC and then against Angel City the following week. The Spirit snapped the losing streak with the win over Chicago this past weekend.

Following Saturday night's match, Utah Royals FC return to Sandy to host the 2024 NWSL Shield winners and NWSL champions, the Orlando Pride, on May 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets for the match are available at https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/tickets/single.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 16, 2025


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