Photo Copyright Rob Gray for USA TODAY Sports
Utah Royals FC head coach Amy Rodriguez said her players had a sour taste in their mouths on the heels of the franchise-christening, 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars in Week 1.
“These guys had something to prove and they did that,” Rodriguez said following a much more fulfilling result last Friday, a 2-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage.
Any first win is special, but there was much to remember about this one. From Kate Del Fava’s first goal for the new Royals to the bizarre back-to-back penalties, and the debut goal of No. 1 overall pick Ally Sentnor, no one who witnessed the Royals win will soon forget it.
Sentnor, who turned 20 last month, was handed an acre of space by the Courage defense and took full advantage, racing to the top of the 18-yard box and uncorking a left-footed missile that found the far, upper 90. To say it beat Courage keeper Casey Murphy would be unfair considering the degree of difficulty of Sentnor’s shot. When it rattled the netting to give…
