Utah Royals FC entered Friday night’s matchup against the Houston Dash without two key players - defender Kelley O’Hara (hamstring strain) and forward Elise Thorsnes (concussion). Katie Stengel replaced Thorsnes in the #9 spot, and Sydney Miramontez started for O’Hara.
The changes would change the dynamic from last week’s game. Without O’Hara, the Royals missed a flair to their attack from the back. Still, the Royals dominated possession throughout the game, both in terms of passing completion and maintaining possession. By the 59th-minute, Utah led in total passes with 411 to Houston’s 215 and completed 83.