Royalty from Utah landed in the city of Angels looking to wrap up the away portion of the 2024 NWSL season on a high note. Keeping the same starting eleven from the 3-0 home win against the Seattle Reign, the Royals came out of the gate swinging.
The breakthrough came early in the first half after Claudia Zornoza skillfully intercepted a ball in the defensive third and played a quick one-two with Ally Sentnor. The Spaniard drove into the midfield and found a surging Brecken Mozingo on the right wing. Mozingo cut inside onto her left foot to move toward the top of the box and was quickly fouled by the Angel City defense. Zornoza stepped up next to Cloé Lacasse for the free kick and as the whistle blew, fired a perfect shot into the back of the net. The ball rose up perfectly over the wall of Angel City defenders and dropped perfectly into the net beating the keeper to the near post.
What followed immediately after the goal and throughout the rest of the second half is the benefit of adding world class talent like Zornoza. It is easy to look at Claudia at face value and understand that she will help control the midfield, will progress the ball in possession, and deliver some great balls into the box off set pieces. However there is something that often goes unnoticed and has not been replicated by another Royals midfielder. Zornoza’s presence offers time and space to other players. Shortly after the opening goal, there was a sequence of corners that led to threatening shots from Sentnor and Mozingo, as players were drawn towards Zornoza, as well as a counterattack with a Sentnor shot floating just over the crossbar. Zornoza then can then capitalize on the space left for her when defenders shift to the other attackers, much like she did in the second half, receiving a ball from Lacasse and unleashing a long distance shot, forcing a save that earned a nomination for Save of the Week.
While the match ended in a 1-1 draw, the first half performance was immense from an attacking standpoint. URFC’s attack had great shots from Sentnor and Mozingo and an absolute worldie of a goal from Claudia. This Royals squad has made strides of improvement under Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets. Since Coenraets took the reins, URFC holds a 7-4-2 record in all competitions.
The Utah Royals return home to America First Field for the final game of the regular season against Gotham FC on Friday November 1st. The match will kick off at 7:30 PM. To purchase tickets visit https://www.rsl.com/utahroyals/tickets/
