Sky Blue FC (0-14-4, 4 points) will return to National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action on Saturday, hosting Utah Royals FC (7-7-7, 28 points) at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. The match-up gets underway at 6:30 p.m. ET, and tickets are available now online.
Saturday night marks the third meeting of the season between these two clubs, with Utah Royals FC picking up a pair of wins in the previous two encounters. The first match occurred back in June at Yurcak Field, with the visiting side claiming a 2-1 victory. In that contest, Utah Royals FC struck in the 3rd minute on a Gunnhildur Jonsdottir to Diana Matheson tally, but Sky Blue FC was able to quickly retaliate when Katie Johnson hooked up Shea Groom for an equalizer just seven minutes later. The game remained knotted up at 1-1 until an own goal in the 85th minute awarded the three points to Utah Royals FC.
The second fixture took place later that month at Rio Tinto Stadium, as Utah Royals FC used an early Christen Press conversion and a first-half brace by Katie Stengel to carry a 3-0 advantage into the halftime intermission. Sky Blue FC did pull one back when Imani Dorsey set up Carli Lloyd in the 62nd minute, but a final 3-1 result went in favor of the home team.
Sky Blue FC was last in action this past weekend, coming out on the wrong side of a 2-1 tally against the Houston Dash at Yurcak Field. A Kealia Ohai to Rachel Daly connection in the 7th minute gave the Dash an early edge, but Madison Tiernan leveled the terms in the 64th minute when she rebounded and scored a Savannah McCaskill shot. Houston eventually claimed the decision after making good on a penalty kick opportunity in the 73rd minute following a handball infraction inside the box. Despite the result, Sky Blue FC received an extraordinary performance by goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who recorded nine saves on the evening.
Utah Royals FC most recently hosted Seattle Reign FC last Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, suffering a 1-0 loss on its home soil.
Saturday will serve as Sky Blue FC’s 2018 Health and Wellness Night, which is being presented by Sportika Sports. Prior to kickoff, Sky Blue FC is also partnering with Grassroot Soccer and EDP Futures for a youth soccer event, and the team will be wearing co-branded shirts of the three groups during warm-ups. Those shirts will then be autographed and auctioned during the game to benefit Grassroot Soccer. Tickets for Saturday’s game are available now online or by calling 888-SBFC-TIX (888-723-2849).
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