Utah Royals Winless Streak Continues With Home Loss To Gotham FC
Jun 13, 2025, 10:06 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Royals FC)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Royals’ struggles dragged on Friday as Gotham FC handed them a 3-0 loss at America First Field.
A 9th-minute Gotham score and a penalty goal shortly after the break set a tone for each half, and the Royals were never able to build any momentum.
With the loss, Utah is now winless in its last seven matches. They sit at 1-2-9 overall.
Home again next weekend pic.twitter.com/nvGwza0LHz
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) June 14, 2025
First Half
Looking for their first win in nearly two months, Utah desperately needed a strong start — both offensively and defensively.
After conceding three goals in three straight matches, shoring up the back line was the top priority.
Unfortunately, Gotham struck early. In the 9th minute, Sarah Schupansky set up Esther González for a header from the top of the six-yard box to make it 1-0.
Esther González keeps making her case for the Golden Boot 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/iJUu02yqoO
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 14, 2025
It’s been a dual-edged sword for the Royals this season: they often respond with better defense after conceding, holding opponents off for stretches. But it’s a silver lining that wouldn’t be necessary if they weren’t falling behind so often.
That pattern held true in the first half. Gotham didn’t register another shot on target through the 45th.
In the 25th, Bianca St-Georges loaded up, looking for her second goal in two matches, but New York goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was able to make the save.
After 20 minutes of even play with few real chances, five minutes of stoppage time were added.
St-Georges once again looked to equalize, but her shot sailed right. Gotham immediately countered. Jaelin Howell drove down the left side and tucked a low shot into the corner to make it 2-0 just before the break.
This run by Jaelin Howell was a thing of beauty 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FvzN4VdcXO
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 14, 2025
Utah entered halftime trailing by two — a familiar and frustrating position.
Second Half
The second half was not much better for the Royals.
Shortly after Paige Monaghan replaced Ally Sentnor, Nuria Rábano was called for a foul in the penalty area. González stepped to the spot, and buried it into the bottom left corner to make it a three-goal game.
Utah’s first shot attempt of the half came in the 78th minute, just after Gotham defender Jess Carter was shown a red card for a foul on Mina Tanaka. The Royals’ next attempt didnt come until the 90th minute.
Tanaka looked to score then, nearly finding the top shelf, but Ryan Campbell was able to bat it away.
In total, the Royals had just six shot attempts (half being on frame), 13 fouls to five from Gotham, and set up for one lone corner kick. Gotham shockingly had as many attempts, but of the four on goal, Utah was only able to make one save.
Follow the Utah Royals with KSL Sports
The Utah Royals will stay at home at America First Field to take on the Seattle Reign FC on Saturday, June 21. Kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. MT.
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).
