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- Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda scored a first-half hat trick against the Utah Royals.
- Utah suffered its seventh loss in 10 matches, losing 3-1 to Orlando.
- Coach Jimmy Coenraets remains hopeful as injured players return after an international break.
SANDY — Things got worse before they (hopefully) get better for the Utah Royals.
The NWSL squad picked up its seventh loss in its first 10 matches of the season Friday, thanks to a first-half frenzy by Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda in a 3-1 win for the visiting team at America First Field.
The Zambian star pounced early with a goal off a ground cross from Ally Watt in the seventh minute and then slammed the door shut with back-to-back goals in the 37th and 38th minutes to nearly double her season goal tally from four to seven.
Somewhere in between, Brecken Mozingo scored her second goal in two matches and her first in front of her hometown crowd in Sandy. Mozingo is now the Royals' leading scorer this season with two goals.
The crux of Utah's problem remains on the sidelines, however, as the team was dealt another injury blow when midfielder Alex Loera tore the same ACL for the second year in a row in training just six days after returning from her previous year-long rehab.
The Colorado native will have surgery on Tuesday and is likely to become the third player to join the season-ending injury list, along with fellow ACL victims Cloe Lacasse and Tatumn Milazzo.
A ray of hope emerged after the match, however, as head coach Jimmy Coenraets said the team should have all players not on the season-ending injury list, including captain Paige Monaghan and starting center-back Kaleigh Riehl, available for Utah's next match on June 6 in Louisville, Kentucky.
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 24, 2025
"That's going to help us, not only from a quality point of view, but also just from a training point of view," Coenraets said. "From a competition point of view, just making sure everyone's really competitive at practice."
Coenraets was quick to compliment the quality and experience of players who have gotten the better of Utah in recent weeks, including BYU alum Ashley Hatch last week in Washington and Banda on Friday.
The difference between those stars and the potential up-and-coming Royals like Mozingo and Ally Sentnor? Time.
"We'll get there," Coenraets said. "It's just about time and making sure they are developing on a weekly basis."
In terms of time and rest, the team gets a prime opportunity with a two-week international break ahead of it. Several players — including Sentnor, Mandy McGlynn and Janni Thomsen — will join their national teams during the break, which could be even more important for a struggling player like Sentnor.
The 21-year-old is going through something of a "sophomore slump," with just one goal — a penalty — through 10 games in 2025. Joining a star-studded USWNT could take some of the load Sentnor carries with the Royals off her shoulders and allow her to focus on regaining some confidence and good form.
The USWNT, featuring Sentnor and McGlynn, faces China on May 31 and Jamaica on June 3, while Thomsen and Denmark take on Wales on May 30 and Sweden on June 3.
