Courage cruise to 2-0 victory over Royals

Buoyed by Ashley Sanchez's second goal of the season, the North Carolina Courage claimed a 2-0 victory over the Utah Royals in Sandy, Utah, on Saturday night.

North Carolina (2-3-2, 8 points) won its second straight match after going winless through its first five contests. The Courage also earned their first road win and have lost just once in four road matches. Casey Murphy picked up her second clean sheet of the season.

Utah (1-5-1, 4 points) dropped its second straight contest after struggling to generate sufficient scoring chances once again. The Royals have tallied only four goals through their first seven matches. They have been shut out in four of their five losses.

North Carolina finished with a 16-9 advantage in total shots. The Courage generated six shots on goal while limiting Utah to only a single ball on frame.

Sanchez put North Carolina on the board in the 12th minute. She struck quickly after latching onto a ball deflected to the top of the box. Sanchez settled the ball and blasted it back down the middle.

The Courage increased their lead in the 43rd minute after Kate Del Fava made a defensive mistake that led to an own goal.

Riley Jackson had a chance to add a third goal in the 87th minute but misfired on a penalty kick, sending the ball wide of the near post.

--Field Level Media