San Diego Wave FC left Sandy with all three points on Sunday night, earning a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Utah Royals in National Women’s Soccer League action at America First Field.
The visitors set the tone in the first half and went in front through Dudinha in the 18th minute, capping an energetic opening spell in which San Diego looked sharper in the final third. The Wave generated the better of the early attacking play and their breakthrough reflected that pressure, with Dudinha providing the cutting edge Utah struggled to contain.
Utah, though, stayed in the fixture and gradually found a foothold. The Royals saw a little more of the ball overall, finishing with 53 percent possession, but clear chances were still at a premium against a San Diego side that remained the more threatening outfit going forward. The Wave ended the night with 15 shots to Utah’s seven and put six efforts on target, double the Royals’ total of three.
After trailing 1-0 at the interval, Utah came out with greater intent in the second half and eventually found their equalizer through Lara Prasnikar in the 67th minute. It was a deserved moment for the hosts after a more assertive spell, and suddenly the match had a very different complexion.
The drama only intensified from there. San Diego picked up a string of cautions over the course of the evening, and the visitors were reduced to 10 players in the 82nd minute when Tatumn Milazzo was shown a red card. That appeared to hand Utah a real opening to push for a winner in front of the home crowd.
Instead, the decisive blow came from the Wave. With the Royals pressing late and the contest stretched, Lia Godfrey struck in the 87th minute to restore San Diego’s lead and silence the home support. It was a clinical late moment from the visitors, who showed real composure to find the winning goal despite being down a player.
Utah could not find a second response in stoppage time, and the final whistle confirmed a frustrating defeat for the Royals, who were made to pay for not turning their possession into more sustained end product. For San Diego, it was a resilient road performance built on attacking intent, timely finishing, and the ability to manage a tense finish under pressure.
Goal scorers: Dudinha 18′ (San Diego Wave FC), Lara Prasnikar 67′ (Utah Royals), Lia Godfrey 87′ (San Diego Wave FC).
Key stats: San Diego Wave FC outshot Utah Royals 15-7 and held a 6-4 edge on corners, while Utah narrowly led possession 53-47.
