Angel City’s season had already ended by the time the team took the field for the final home game on its schedule. A win by Bay FC earlier in the weekend had eliminated Angel City from playoff contention for the second time in three seasons, leaving it playing for little more than pride Sunday against a Utah Royals team that was also playing out the string.
Not surprisingly, the game ended in a 1-1 draw before a modest sun-splashed matinee crowd at BMO Stadium, although the result extended Angel City’s unbeaten streak to a season-long three games. And for that the team can thank goalkeeper Didi Haracic, who made a career-high nine saves, and second-half substitute Sydney Leroux, who scored Angel City’s only goal.
Even those positives couldn’t erase the disappointment of a season that started with promise and ended far earlier than expected. It might have gone differently if not for a fine and three-point deduction levied against the team earlier this month for repeated violations of the league’s salary cap.
But coach Becki Tweed wasn’t making excuses, calling the experience part of the learning process.
“It’s been a real up and down roller coaster of a season,” said Tweed, who took over in midseason last year and guided the team to the postseason. “We’ve had some really, really high moments and we’ve had some really low moments. It doesn’t happen overnight.
“Building a club from scratch is something that takes time. Building an identity, building a culture is something that takes time. This season we have grown massively in our identity, in what we’re trying to achieve and what we’re trying to accomplish. There’s build bumps along the way. We recognize that.”
Captain Sarah Gorden agreed.
“Every season in my career, there’s ups and there’s downs. It feels like this year there were a lot of downs for us, a lot of things that almost went our way and then didn’t,” she said. “And it was tough. Emotionally for everyone from the staff to the players, it’s been really tough.
“This year has not gone the way we wanted to go. How does it feel? It feels like sh**. And that’s something that we have to learn from.”
Utah (7-14-4), unbeaten in its last four games, went ahead in the 21st minute after referee Sergii Demianchuk gave a soft yellow card to Angel City’s Madison Curry, setting up a 25-yard free kick that Claudia Zornoza, a World Cup winner with Spain, curled inside the near post.
Leroux pulled that back for Angel City with a spectacular goal in the 57th minute. With Utah struggling to clear the ball out of its own penalty area, teenage defender Gisele Thompson was able to head a short pass forward for Leroux, who had her back to the goal at the top of the 18-yard box. Leroux then sent a right-footed side volley just over Utah keeper Mandy Haught and just under the crossbar for her seventh goal of the season, matching Claire Emslie for the team lead.
The assist was the first of Thompson’s career and it fell to Haracic, who will be a free agent after this season, to make the goal stand up.
“I’m happy with my performance,” said Haracic, who was surprised to learn she had set a career high for saves. “There’s also 10 people in front of me that do their job as well, so I’m happy for the tie. We’ve just we’ve been through a lot, and it’s thick and thin with this club.”
Angel City (7-12-6) needs a win in its final game Nov. 1 in Portland to match the eight wins it registered in each of its first two seasons.
