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SANDY — It took Cloe Lacasse one half to do what no player had done in an entire game before in Utah Royals history.
The 31-year-old Canadian forward scored twice in the opening 20 minutes of Sunday's home game against Seattle Reign FC and then got a third goal in first-half stoppage time to earn the first hat trick in the team's history, dating back to the first iteration in 2018.
"You definitely can't complain," Lacasse said of the hat trick. "It was great to get that early goal. I think that momentum, obviously, swung our way, and we were able to kind of capitalize on those other opportunities."
The first hat trick in @UtahRoyalsFC history! Take a bow Cloé Lacasse! pic.twitter.com/6Cvf0ttUUL
— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) October 13, 2024
Lacasse's first-half hat trick was also the first three-goal performance by any player in an NWSL game this season. The first two goals were solo goals by Lacasse, and the third was assisted by Claudia Zornoza.
An early double-yellow ejection on the Reign helped Utah to its most dominant half of football by far this season, allowing zero shots by Seattle for a 3-0 lead it rode until the final whistle.
"Honestly, it should have probably been more goals, but it was good to see the benefits of the finishing we've been practicing daily," Lacasse said of the offensive performance. "We had three goals, we had a clean sheet, so that's what we're striving for, right?"
The victory marked the third straight for the Royals and allowed them to evade elimination from NWSL playoff contention once again.
Utah caught a bit of luck with a penalty call in the box that was reversed by VAR early in the second half, but the defense held tight otherwise, with three total Seattle shots allowed, including just one on goal.
The win moves the Royals into 10th place in the standings for the moment and just 4 points below the playoff line with two matches remaining in the regular season.
The team hits the road next week to face Angel City FC before returning home for the season closer at America First Field on Nov. 1 against Gotham FC.
