Sandy, Utah (Sunday, March 22, 2026) \u2013 Utah Royals FC (0-2-0, 0 pt, 15th NWSL) fell to San Diego Wave (1-1-0, 3 pts, 7th NWSL) in a hard-fought 2-1 loss at URFC\u2019s 2026 home-opener.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Utah Royals FC welcomed San Diego Wave to the Wasatch Front for the 2026 season home-opener on Saturday, March 22, 2026. With 9,778 fans in attendance, the Royals faithful were eager to witness the Royals in action for the first time this season.<\/p>\n
Wearing the new Swarm kits, URFC was out to draw first blood from the starting whistle. Danish international **Janni** Thomsen<\/a> took a chance in the first minute with a shot that sailed over the bar, setting the tone for an aggressive first half.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The first goal came against the Royals in the 18th minute, as Dudhina intercepted a dangerous giveaway just outside the box. Capitalizing with a single touch, she took a right footed shot that landed in the left bottom corner of the Utah goal.<\/p>\n The Royals headed back into the locker room at the end of the first half trailing 0-1, looking to change the match\u2019s momentum for the remaining 45 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Haitian international Dayana Pierre-Louise<\/a> made her URFC and NWSL debut in the 45th minute coming on for Aria Nagai<\/a> in the midfield. She is the 3rd player to represent Haiti in the NWSL and the second Haitian born active player, after Seattle Reign\u2019s N\u00e9rilia Mond\u00e9sir.<\/p>\n Utah native Courtney Brown<\/a> made her URFC debut in the 59th minute, replacing **Ana Tejada**<\/a>, also in the midfield. Jamaican international Kameron Simmonds<\/a> also came off the bench in the 59th minute, replacing Thomsen.<\/p>\n Slovenian international Lara Pra\u0161nikar<\/a> tied up the score half way into the second period with her first goal for the Royals, and made history by becoming the first Slovenian to score in the NWSL. Kiana Palacios<\/a> sent a long ball up the field to the feet of the Slovenian attacker, where she took a right footed strike that ricocheted into the back of the net, marking Palacios\u2019s first NWSL and URFC assist.<\/p>\n