The Utah Royals answered their coach's challenge with a record-setting exclamation point on August 2, burying five goals past the Portland Thorns in a 5-1 victory at America First Field in Sandy that rewrote the franchise record book.
It was the most goals Utah Royals FC has ever scored in a single match. The win lifted the club to 10-5-3 with 33 points, good for third in the NWSL standings, and marked the first time the Royals have reached 10 wins in a season since 2019.
After a 1-0 loss to Washington Spirit on July 29, head coach Jimmy Coenraets told the Salt Lake Tribune his team needed to start converting. "You've just competed with the best; just make sure next week you put those balls away," Coenraets said July 30, previewing the Portland match. His players delivered five times over.
Portland struck first. U.S. forward Sophia Wilson scored just 34 seconds into the match off a through ball from Pietra Tordin, the fastest goal in the NWSL this season.
Then Utah took over.
Cece Delzer equalized in the 35th minute with a right-footed finish, assisted by Kiana Palacios. Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn kept it level with a full-stretch save in the 41st minute, and the Royals carried that 1-1 scoreline into halftime before exploding in the second half.
Delzer struck again two minutes after the break, heading home a Cloé Lacasse cross in the 47th minute to complete the first brace of her NWSL career. She now has four goals in Utah's last six matches.
Utah native Brecken Mozingo, the former BYU attacker, entered as a substitute in the 64th minute and needed just four minutes to find the net, scoring off another Lacasse delivery. It was Mozingo's first goal of the 2026 season.
Kiana Palacios made it 4-1 in the 78th minute with a backheel flick off a cross from Miyabi Moriya. Defender Kate Del Fava headed in the record-breaking fifth goal in the 89th minute, again from a Lacasse set piece.
Lacasse's three-assist night made her just the eighth player in NWSL history to record three assists in a single regular-season match. The Canadian forward set three club records in the process: 13 single-season goal contributions, surpassing Christen Press's 2019 mark; eight assists in a single season; and 19 career goal contributions for the franchise, breaking teammate Mina Tanaka's previous record.
The Royals have now scored 31 goals in 2026, also a single-season club high with 12 games remaining.
Veteran defender Kaleigh Riehl marked her 100th career NWSL appearance in the match, and captain Paige Cronin returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 17. The match was played in 100-degree heat in front of what the club's official recap called "an electric home crowd."
Utah travels to Denver to face expansion side Denver Summit at Centennial Stadium on August 8 with a 2 p.m. MDT kickoff on ION TV. It's the second meeting of the fan-named "Continental Divide" rivalry. The Royals return home August 14 against Bay FC.
