When you think the streak is over: Sky Blue FC ties Royals 2-2
by Moira McConnell
Sky Blue FC’s first win of the season slips through their collective fingers in the last second of the game. Another way to think of it: Utah Royals narrowly avoided becoming the first team to lose to the New Jersey team.
Despite losing defensive star Mandy Freeman to injury for this week, Sky Blue FC had their best first half, finally able to not concede a goal early in the game. On the other hand, the Royals really struggled tonight on finishing their shots.
It was a great first half, and first part of the second half, for Sky Blue. The first goal came in the 14th minute, after Carli Lloyd went down, looking for a foul that wasn’t given. Raquel Rodriguez, realizing that there would be no whistle, took the ball around the fallen Lloyd and poked it to Katie Johnson. Despite Royals’ defender Katie Bowen pulling on her jersey, Johnson was able to score on a far post shot, falling backward.
Johnson took on everything the Royals’ defense threw at her, scoring Sky Blue’s second goal right after halftime. In the 48th minute, Johnson took on and beat two Royals’ defenders, flicking the ball over Becky Sauerbrunn then setting herself up by deflecting a ball off of Bowen.
I truly believe that Sky Blue FC would have won this game, had it not been for the delay. In the 55th minute, this game was delayed for about 40 minutes due to weather.
The game turned around in the 58th minute, just after the game restarted, when former Sky Blue-er current Royal, Taylor Lytle, got on the pitch and sent in a cross. It landed to the feet of Royal Lo’eau LaBonta, who sent a ball into the six-yard box, hoping that Bowen would get there first. Luckily for Utah Royals, Sky Blue FC defender Domi Richardson touched it first, deflecting behind goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan to score for the Royals.
Sky Blue FC shut down the Royals for the rest of the game, and, when stoppage time came, everyone thought that the day had finally come for Sky Blue to secure their first win of the season. Unfortunately, today was not that day.
In the 94th minute, 40 seconds after stoppage time was expected to end, the Utah Royals secured a tie. The Royals were scrambling in their offensive half, trying to get a cross off for their last attempt to prevent a loss. Royals midfielder Gunnhildur Jonsdottir sent the cross to Katie Stengel who deflected the ball to Christen Press. Press dropped the ball to Amy Rodriguez and, with the last touch of the game, sent the ball past Sheridan, tying the game 2-2.
This was Sky Blue FC’s best game. They were aggressive on and off the ball and scored early. It was unfortunate that the delay caused an end to their momentum, but there is so much good for Sky Blue to use for their next game. Not to mention that they didn’t have their super sweeper, Mandy Freeman, who was phenomenal in the past at stopping the attackers that slipped through Sky Blue’s many defensive gaps. Sky Blue was succinct and played as a unit. With this performance, there should be confidence of a Sky Blue FC win before this season ends.
