SANDY, Utah – (Saturday, September 21, 2019) – Utah Royals FC (9-9-3, 31 points) fell 3-0 to the 2019 NWSL Shield Winners, North Carolina Courage, at Rio Tinto Stadium.
North Carolina took the lead in the first half when forward Kristen Hamilton was taken down inside the box by DF Becky Sauerbrunn, resulting in a penalty kick. Samantha Mewis took the shot and the Courage went into halftime up 1-0.
Halfway through the second half North Carolina doubled their lead when Jaelene Hinkle sent a floater in past GK Nicole Barnhart. Just five minutes later they secured their third goal of the match when a poorly distributed ball from Barnhart, generated an open shot on goal for Debinha.