Angel City FC Moves Into Sixth Place After A Shutout Win Against Utah Royals On The Road

Sandy, Utah (Sept. 20, 2026) - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) earned a 3-0 victory over Utah Royals FC on Sunday at American First Field, securing its eighth clean sheet of the season to establish a new club record. With back-to-back victories, Angel City has jumped into sixth place in the NWSL standings.

ACFC controlled the match from start to finish as Ally Sentnor opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 26th minute, Taylor Suarez doubled the lead just 72 seconds into the second half and Sveindís Jónsdóttir secured the game with a 67th-minute goal.

“I’m very happy with the way we pushed and pressed and worked to not give away anything,” said Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud. “The professional job and the hard work that our players did made it clear who was winning this game.”

Angel City’s advantage grew early when Utah was reduced to 10 players in the 11th minute following a red card to Paige Cronin after a tackle from behind on Prisca Chilufya. Utah went down to nine in the 23rd minute when Cece Delzer received Utah’s second red card, setting up a penalty for Angel City.

Sentnor stepped up in the 26th minute and converted into the top-left corner for her fifth goal of the season and third consecutive match with a converted penalty kick.

Angel City finished the first half with 72 percent possession and created several additional chances, including a shot from Carina Lageyre that ricocheted off the top of the crossbar and a close attempt by Gisele Thompson that forced a diving save from Utah goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn. 

Angel City carried the momentum into the second half, with Taylor Suarez subbing in for Chilufya to start the half. Just 72 seconds after the restart, Suarez received a pass from Thompson and finished from the center of the box to make it 2-0. 

The goal marked Suarez’s third of her rookie campaign and her second straight match scoring shortly after entering as a substitute. 

“[Taylor] has a very good ability to get into those situations, and from there it is about the quality of the finish,” Smerud said. “She got into those situations again today. She’s in a good place and on a good development path, which is important for us.”

Angel City continued to generate chances before Jónsdóttir added a third in the 67th minute. After winning the ball from Utah’s Tatumn Milazzo, Jónsdóttir carried into the box and finished from the center to record her eighth goal of the season, tying Maiara Niehues (2026) and Riley Tiernan (2025) for the club’s all-time single-season scoring record.

While Angel City’s attack continued to produce, the defensive performance provided another milestone. Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson recorded her eighth clean sheet of the season, setting a new single-season club record. Anderson made several key saves throughout the match, including stops on Mina Tanaka and Narumi Miura.

“I’m really proud of the accomplishment. It takes a lot to get shutouts in this league. As defenders and goalkeepers, me, Emily Sams, and Sarah Gorden are warriors back there. Just as the offense scoring a lot of goals gives us a lot of confidence, the same goes the other way," Anderson said.

“It really is a team effort…Everybody having a part of our success lately has been one of the best parts about it. Obviously, only 11 can start, but the people coming off the bench are kind of the real difference-makers as the game gets tiring. We’re in this together.”

Angel City will play the Washington Spirit at Audi Field on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3:30 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on ION.