Although the Utah Royals FC have made a habit of scoring the bare minimum of goals to win games this season, holding opponents scoreless has come concurrently with that. But Friday night saw the Royals not only stifle the opponent’s offense, but have their own offense stifled as well.
The Royals and Portland Thorns played to a scoreless draw at Providence Park, helping Utah to 17 points, which is tied with the first-place Washington Spirit. The team was without midfielder Vero Boquete due to a right ankle injury, but got Lo’eau LaBonta back from a two-game suspension.
Royals keeper Nicole Barnhart earned her sixth clean sheet of the season in the win. That’s the most in the NWSL.
The Thorns could have scored at least two goals throughout the evening, but the Royals’ defense showed once again why it is the best in the National Women’s Soccer League. Despite 18 shots from Portland, it only got three on frame. That’s mostly because Utah’s back row stopped the Thorns in their tracks before their shots could even sniff the goal.
Utah had some difficulty dealing with Portland’s high pressure early in the game, but settled in as the game went on. But while their passes were better connected and their opportunities more plentiful, the Royals just couldn’t create enough dangerous opportunities that could have led to goals.
At halftime, the Royals didn’t have any shots on goal. But they ended with four on only seven total shots. Thorns keeper Britt Eckerstrom took care of all of those.
One of the best chances for the Thorns came in the 52nd minute on a corner kick. The ball was floated into the box perfectly to Dagny Brynjarsdóttir, who attempted a good header that barely went over the crossbar.
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