SALT LAKE CITY — Sure, it’s darn near impossible to win every single game, but Utah Royals FC certainly took a step backward on Friday night, and it wasn’t just because of the final outcome.
Riding a five-game unbeaten streak, which included four wins, URFC entered Friday’s road contest against the Houston Dash on a high note, especially after beating then-National Women’s Soccer League-best Portland Thorns FC last Friday.
But URFC was flat in multiple phases of the game for most of the night against a Dash team that is out of the playoff picture and fell 2-1 to Houston for the second time in two meetings this season.
The Dash’s Sofia Huerta scored twice, and only a rare goal from substitute Gunny Jonsdottir in the 75th minute got URFC on the scoreboard.
With the loss, URFC failed to gain any ground in the playoff race and remains just a point up on Washington-based Reign FC for the fourth and final spot.
Really until Jonsdottir’s goal, which injected new life into URFC, a team that has played so well lately was off its peak performance. An attack that has been clicking was quite disjointed, and the defense allowed Houston to be aggressive.
In the 27th minute, the Dash got the ball into the area and URFC missed an opportunity to clear it out. Houston’s Kristie Mewis ended up with it and backheeled it to an unmarked Huerta, who slotted it past URFC goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart and into the net.
Then in the 62nd minute right as Jonsdottir subbed on, the Dash’s Rachel Daly sent a through ball from near midfield right past the URFC backline. Huerta appeared to be offside, but it wasn’t called, and no URFC defender was back to support Barnhart.
Huerta rocketed a shot above Barnhart’s outstretched arms, and it hit the crossbar and bounced into the goal.
URFC pulled one back in the 75th minute when an unmarked Jonsdottir took a pass from Erika Tymrak at the top of the 18-yard box and rifled a shot past Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. The road team stayed aggressive the rest of the way in trying to get an equalizer but didn’t come up with anything.
URFC will have a relatively quick turnaround after Friday’s loss as it plays Reign FC on the road next Wednesday night in a contest that is primed to be huge for playoff positioning.