Too little, too late: Utah Royals fall to Seattle 1-0 in series' regular-season finale


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SANDY — Just call Utah Royals FC "winless against Seattle."

Jessica Fishlock scored her first goal of the season, and goalkeeper Lydia Williams made two saves to lift the visiting Seattle Reign to a 1-0 win over Utah on a hot, hazy Saturday afternoon at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The Reign (10-4-6, 36 points) outshot the Royals 10-6, including a 6-2 margin in shots on goal. With the win, Seattle strengthens its hold on second place in the NWSL table, six points ahead of third-place Orlando with four games remaining.

Utah (7-7-7) will finish its inaugural season going 0-1-2 against the Reign. The team that went unbeaten at 1-0-2 against league-leading North Carolina is also winless against the other three teams — Seattle, Orlando and Portland Thorns FC — that are currently in the NWSL's four-team playoff picture with three matches remaining.

"I think we had our chances in all three games that we played against them," said Utah forward Christen Press, who has just two goals since joining the team in June. "The fact that we didn't score a single goal against them is on us."

She also took plenty of blame on herself, despite leading the team with three shots and one on frame.

"Personally, I think I lacked a lot of quality in finishing my last pass," Press said. "Fatigue played into it, but it always does. You’ve got to fight through it — that’s how you win games."

The Royals came into the match high, with wins over Houston last Sunday and Washington late Wednesday night, prior to the muggy Saturday afternoon, nationally televised kickoff.

But the Reign took all the momentum away early.

Seattle pinned the Royals deep in their defensive end, outshooting the hosts 5-2 en route to a scoreless first half. But Fishlock broke the deadlock less than three minutes after the break, notching her first goal of the season with a header from teammate Megan Oyster that gave the Reign all the advantage it needed.

"My frustration is that the game plan that we had, we didn't execute until the last five minutes," said Utah coach Laura Harvey, whose side was playing its third game in seven days. "If we had done it previous to that, we would've caused them more problems."

Utah Royals FC Christen Press misses a goal in Sandy on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. The Royals lost 1-0. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Utah Royals FC Christen Press misses a goal in Sandy on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. The Royals lost 1-0. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

The loss was Utah's first since a 2-1 defeat to Orlando on July 14.

The Royals don't fall out of the NWSL's four-team playoff picture with the loss. But they'll rue several missed opportunities and a chance to claim points off one of the five teams seeded above them in the standings.

They'll also regret the late-game surge that nearly brought them back on several occasions — but proved to be too little, too late.

"I think the three-game weeks are really tough, especially when your opponent doesn't have that," Harvey said. "But I felt the girls kept working all the way to the end, and with a little more quality in the final third, and we could've had a point."

Diana Matheson nearly equalized in the 60th minute, then Press added her own rip with five minutes remaining. But Williams extended to keep the ball from nearly 30 yards out and close to the right touchline out of the back of the net, and the Reign defense held Utah to just two shots on target.

"At this point, I think we’re feeling good about all the wins we get — and feeling bad anytime we don’t win," said Press, who returned to the center forward role she's most accustomed to playing Saturday. "It's a solid week. It was a hard week, and the team worked really hard. But for the third-consecutive game, it was a good effort.

"But it's about moving forward and doing whatever it takes to be prepared for what’s next."

Bad-air breaks

Four hydration breaks were available to players because of the league’s policy of games played under extreme weather conditions with an on-field temperature that approached 100 degrees.

Because of the poor air quality caused by nearby wildfires in Utah and Sanpete counties, oxygen tanks were also available to players on each bench. The NWSL does not have a formal policy for poor air conditions.

"I felt both teams felt it," Harvey said of the heat and air. "The game was slower than normal, the defending from both teams was different because of it. But we managed it well, and I think the fact that we had some momentum at the end shows that we still had a little bit inside of us.

"But it was really tough out there for us."

Next up

Utah travels to the East Coast to face New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC Saturday, Aug. 18. The team will then remain in the Eastern Time Zone for a match Wednesday, Aug. 22, at Washington.

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