Utah Royals FC look to remain undefeated against defending NWSL champion North Carolina Courage

Sandy • The North Carolina Courage may have won the National Women’s Soccer title last season, and the Utah Royals FC may have missed the playoffs by just two points.

But there was one thing the Royals held over the Courage from both team’s 2018 campaigns: Utah never lost to North Carolina. In fact, it was the only NWSL team not to fall to the Courage all year. The Royals drew two games and won another in three games against North Carolina.

And while what transpired last season is in the past, not losing to the defending NWSL champions last season gives the Royals at least some confidence going into their first matchup of the year with the Courage on Sunday.

“I think it’s probably in the back of our minds,” goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart said Thursday after training.

So far in 2019, Utah has started strong, winning three of its first four games and holding second place in the NWSL standings with nine points. The first three of those wins came via shutout.

North Carolina, meanwhile, is right on its heels with eight points and sits fourth in the nine-team league.

The Royals outscored the Courage 3-2 in three total games last season. Their only win came on a 1-0 result. On paper, the two teams match up perfectly.

Royals coach Laura Harvey said playing North Carolina not only represents a high-level tactical challenge, but also one that will put her team’s work rate to the test. She intimated that the Courage are such a formidable team that just playing well against them won’t be enough.

“You need a little bit of luck against them to win or to get points off them, and you need work ethic, quality and [to] believe in your game plan and execute,” Harvey said. “You have to be at your best to play against them.”

The Royals didn’t play their best last Saturday in their first loss of the season, and came away from the game feeling like they needed to perform much better if they were going to have any chance of beating North Carolina. Barnhart said it will be important for Utah to play its game through the entire 90-plus minutes Sunday.

“I think the biggest thing is just a little bit of refocus and get back to playing our game and who we are,” Barnhart said.

Utah may have a secret weapon up its sleeve. Makenzy Doniak used to play for the Courage before getting traded to the Royals last season while she rehabbed an ACL injury. While Harvey said she hasn’t asked Doniak for any inside information on North Carolina, Doniak is still familiar with its preferred style of play.

“I know that they’re a very hard-working and just high-press team,” Doniak said. “That’s their identity. So I think knowing that, we have to match that energy level. I think we’re ready for that.”

Both teams will be missing some of their best players due to international duty in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. Harvey said the two teams played a game under similar circumstances last season and fared well.

The coach added that regardless of what season it is or who takes the field, the Courage are just as dangerous now as they’ve been over the past several years.

“They’re just Carolina,” Harvey said. “They haven’t changed. They are who they are. … If you don’t get it right against them, they can really punish you real quick.”