Ally Sentnor's stoppage-time penalty a no-doubter in Utah Royals' 1st win

In the first official match under new ownership from Miller Sports + Entertainment, Ally Sentnor buried a penalty kick in the 100th minute to lift the Royals to a 1-0 win over Chicago.

Finally.

Four matches, 90 minutes, and nearly 10 agonizing minutes of stoppage time later, the Utah Royals earned their first win of the 2025 NWSL season.

Ally Sentnor snapped a 318-minute scoring drought with a 100th-minute penalty kick as the Royals held off visiting Chicago, 1-0 Friday night in front of a ticketed crowd of 17,085 in Sandy, Utah.

And there was never a doubt who would take it — including in the moments leading up to the decisive penalty, when captain Kate Del Fava picked up the ball following a late appeal to VAR before the center back thrust it toward Sentnor as if to say, You got this.

A vote of confidence later, the 21-year-old U.S. international struck a low shot firm and left, beyond the outstretched arms of Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, to lift Utah to a long, long-awaited win.

“I think those are the small things as a group that we really have to take with us,” Utah manager Jimmy Coenraets said after the match. “Ally’s been struggling for a few weeks on the ball; she hasn’t been as successful as she normally is. But for her to step up in the 97th or so minute and make a difference, that’s a huge mentality from a very young player.

“I think that’s just what we want to keep on doing. We don’t necessarily want to just build the team around Ally, but we want to make her very important to the team. I think that’s what she showed tonight.”

Mandy McGlynn earned the shutout in goal for Utah (1-1-3, 4 points), which scored just three goals in its first four matches including back-to-back shutout defeats.

But in a second consecutive Friday night match — and the first since new owners Miller Sports + Entertainment assumed majority control of the team — the Royals flipped the script, controlling 62% of possession from the Stars with 9 shots.

The hosts also got help defensively, blocking four shots and holding Chicago (1-0-4, 3 points) to a single shot on goal — much like Utah’s final number.

UTAH ROYALS FC 1-0 CHICAGO STARS FC

LINEUPS:

Utah Royals FC (4-2-3-1): Mandy McGlynn; Imani Dorsey (Ana María Guzmán, 65’), Kate Del Fava, Ana Tejada, Nuria Rábano (Madison Pogarch, 10’); Claudia Zornoza, Dana Foederer; Janni Thomsen (Cece Kizer, 65’), Ally Sentnor, Bianca St-Georges (Sydney Jones, 84’); Aisha Solórzano (Brecken Mozingo, 85’)

Subs not used: Lauren Flynn, Macey Fraser, Mikayla Cluff, Mia Justus

Chicago Stars FC (4-4-2): Alyssa Naeher; Camryn Biegalski, Cari Roccaro, Sam Staab (Hannah Anderson, 80’), Taylor Malham; Jameese Joseph Micayla Elaine Johnson, 65’), Maitane Lopez, Bea Franklin, Julia Grosso (Ava Cook, 79’); Ally Schlegel (Leilanni Nesbeth, 65’), Ludmila (Nádia Gomes, 69’)

Subs not used: Shea Groom, Chardonnay Curran, Justina Gaynor, Mackenzie Wood

Stats Summary: UTA / CHI

Possession: 62 / 38

Shots: 9 / 9

Shots on Goal: 1 / 1

Corner Kicks: 6 / 4

Fouls: 15 / 14

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

CHI: Ludmila (Yellow Card - 44’)

UTA: Madison Pogarch (Yellow Card - 63’)

CHI: Leilanni Nesbeth (Yellow Card - 90’+3’)