Utah Royals confident that offense will come in Challenge Cup quarterfinals

It’s go time.

As the National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup shifts to the knockout stage, all eight teams get a clean slate. But if they dirty those slates even a little, they’ll receive the same fate as a “Bachelor” contestant who wasn’t asked if they’d accept this rose.

They’re going home.

For the host team Utah Royals FC, losing their upcoming quarterfinal game against the Houston Dash wouldn’t be as dramatic. They have no bags packed near their hotel room doors for a producer to potentially swipe.

But the Royals plan to earn that rose in the quarterfinal.

That notion looks questionable right now, though, mainly because Utah has lost its last two games. Against the Chicago Red Stars and the OL Reign, the Royals failed to score and also gave up late game-winning goals.

For a Royals team that hinges much of its identity on the desire to score, their offense seemingly hasn’t reached its peak ability yet. And the team knows it has to find the back of the net if it doesn’t want to get sent home.

“We definitely have to improve in that box when we get our chance against Houston if we’re to advance,” Royals coach Craig Harrington said. “We’re well aware of that.”

Utah scored three goals in its tournament opener against the Dash in one of — if not the — most entertaining game of the preliminary round. Since then, it’s only been able to score once.

But it’s not like the Royals haven’t created good opportunities. They’ve just been unable to finish them. It’s a source of frustration for the team, but not concern.

“If we’re not creating chances, then the coaching staff and then me as manager would have concerns,” Harrington said. “But we’re creating really good chances. And at some point, these players with their ability, they’re going to go in.”

Part of the reason the Royals seem so calm going into Friday’s game is they feel like they’ve done a lot of growing since giving up three goals in their draw to Houston last month.

“I think that we’ve taken massive strides,” defender Katie Bowen said. “Even though we didn’t get the results in the past two games, we’ve learned a lot.”

Those lessons have been apparent on the field. While they’ve given up late goals, the Royals have also proven that they can defend well for long stretches of a game. They have also shown the ability to break lines with sharp passes and create scoring opportunities for themselves multiple times in a game.

But results matter. All the ability and growth in the world doesn’t amount to much if you’re not holding that rose in the end, and the Dash are also vying for it.

Houston coach James Clarkson said his team was caught off guard when Utah came out in a 3-5-2 formation. But Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell said her team feels ready this time around and that they definitely don’t plan on conceding three goals themselves.

“I think for us, it’s about 90 minutes — maybe 90-plus minutes — of just straight concentration and making sure there’s no mistakes,” Campbell said. “And if we make a mistake, how do we bounce back immediately and not let it ruin the whole game.”

Harrington said he doesn’t feel any pressure going into Friday’s game because he’s been pleased with his team’s performances throughout the Challenge Cup. But forward Amy Rodriguez said there’s “a lot of pressure” on every team due to the knockout situation.

And she likes it that way.

“I think pressure sometimes can be considered a negative thing,” Rodriguez said. “I really enjoy the pressure. I think some of the best teams in the world learn how to embrace pressure, embrace struggle and challenge.”

Harrington said it’s not difficult for him to ensure his players don’t let the lack of scoring get to their heads, and he’s confident their times will come Friday.

“I think it’s more of a confidence thing and making sure it doesn’t become a mentality issue with players,” Harrington said. “But we’ve got fantastic attacking players and I’m sure they’re all eager to make a point of it when they get their chance against Houston.”

Sometimes the right balance between confidence and attitude is all it takes to get a rose.