The Utah Royals FC will make its first-ever NWSL playoff appearance this Friday, Nov. 6, as it travels to Snapdragon Stadium to face the San Diego Wave FC in a quarterfinal matchup. The Royals enter the postseason following a record-breaking 2026 regular season, while the second-seeded Wave seek to secure their first championship in club history.
Royals Conclude Historic Season
Utah enters the quarterfinal round after a historic 2026 campaign that saw the club set franchise records for points per match (1.57), winning percentage (46.7%), and goals per match (1.47). The Royals concluded their regular season on Sunday, Nov. 1, with a 2-0 loss to Gotham FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. In that Decision Day match, Gotham secured the 2026 NWSL Shield, while Utah finished in seventh place with a 14-11-5 record and 47 points.
During the Nov. 1 match against Gotham, Guro Reiten opened the scoring for the league leaders in the ninth minute following a cross from Midge Purce. Jaedyn Shaw doubled the lead in the 80th minute, also assisted by Purce. The Royals' effort was hampered by injuries to Narumi and Cece Delzer, who rested prior to the playoffs. Utah's lineup for the match included Mandy McGlynn, Miyabi, Kate Del Fava, Kaleigh Riehl, Nuria Rabano, Ana Tejada, Madison Hammond, Jameese Joseph, Paige Cronin, Kiana Palacios, and Cloé Lacasse.
San Diego Holds Perfect Record
The upcoming quarterfinal match will be the third meeting between the Royals and the Wave during the 2026 season. San Diego holds a perfect 6-0 record against Utah across all NWSL competitions. The first meeting on March 22 resulted in a 2-1 victory for San Diego at America First Field, with rookie midfielder Lia Godfrey scoring her first professional goal. The teams met again on August 21 at Snapdragon Stadium, where the Wave earned a 4-2 victory, featuring a brace from Japanese-international Mina Tanaka with an assist from Cloé Lacasse.
San Diego enters the postseason as the No. 2 seed after a 1-0 victory over Bay FC on Nov. 1 at PayPal Park. Mimi Van Zanten scored the lone goal in the ninth minute of that match, assisted by Kenza Dali, while goalkeeper Sandra Paños recorded her fourth shutout of the season. The Wave currently hold a seven-game unbeaten streak, including six victories, and finished the regular season with 58 points and an 18-4-8 record.
Wave Aim for First Title
The Wave are entering the postseason with a 1.93 points per match average during the 2026 regular season, marking the highest mark in club history. The team is currently seven matches unbeaten across all competitions. San Diego's roster features standout performances, including Trinity Byars, who won the regular season Golden Boot race with 11 goals in 24 appearances. The club is led by Head Coach Jonas Eidevall.
Key players for San Diego include Melanie Barcenas, who set a new NWSL single-season record for goals by a teenager by scoring seven goals during the 2026 regular season. The 19-year-old forward also recorded two game-winning goals this season. Additionally, the Wave enter the postseason having won eight of their last 10 matches, with only one loss and one draw in that span.
Playoff Match Details
The Utah Royals' roster features Cloé Lacasse, who recorded a club-record 18 goal contributions this season, consisting of eight goals and 10 assists. Lacasse's 10 assists tied for the second-most in a single NWSL season and set a new league record for the most different goal scorers assisted by a single player, assisting eight different teammates.
As the Royals begin their first-ever playoff journey, the club is relying on the depth and chemistry developed during a season that defied low preseason expectations. The quarterfinal match is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:00 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime. Listeners can follow the action via KSL Sports Radio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) starting at 7:30 p.m. MT.
Postseason Outlook
The match at Snapdragon Stadium will determine which team advances to the next round of the NWSL Playoffs. While San Diego seeks its first championship, Utah aims to continue its momentum from a record-setting season to secure its first postseason victory.
