Monroe County Athlete of the Week Vote Opens for Week Ending May 6

The Monroe County Region Athlete of the Week poll for the week of April 27 to May 3 is now open. Voters can choose from a roster of standout athletes, including track and field stars, softball pitchers, and baseball hitters. The voting period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, so cast your vote now to honor the top performer of the week.

Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC took victories this Saturday, with first-half goals proving the difference in both matches. RSL faced the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon, earning an assertive 2-0 home victory, while URFC headed west to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where it claimed its first-ever victory against Angel City FC with a 1-0 triumph. fishroad-app.com

RSL strikes early to earn home win, Utah Royals reign victorious over Angel City

Real Salt Lake returned to the Wasatch Front this Saturday in its match against the Portland Timbers, hungry for a win on home turf after losses against Inter Miami CF last Wednesday at home and at LA Galaxy on Sunday. Just 10 minutes after the first whistle, Spanish rookie Sergi Solans delivered a beautiful through-ball to Utah native Zavier Gozo, advancing down the right flank and hitting a one-touch blast with his right foot that soared past the Portland keeper and landed in the bottom left of the net. The homegrown midfielder celebrated his early lead with a cartwheel into a backflip, shocking fans with his tumbling skills and adding to the electric, sold-out atmosphere of America First Field.

Eighteen minutes later, USA World Cup hopeful Diego Luna capitalized on an opportunity after receiving the ball just outside the 18-yard box, sending a pass to Juan Manuel Sanabria, who took a touch before returning the ball back to Luna for a left-footed shot that doubled the Claret-and-Cobalt’s advantage to 2-0 as it blasted into the bottom right corner of the goal.

In Los Angeles, Utah Royals FC drew first blood in the 32nd minute, when Canadian international Cloé Lacasse received a cross from Captain Paige Cronin on the right as she charged forward into the box. Lacasse made contact with the ball in the air, heading it into the bottom left corner for what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal. Cronin’s assist was her first of the 2026 season, while Lacasse’s goal marked her second for the club this year.

USA goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn came through with multiple vital saves for the Utah side, preserving the narrow lead all the way into the final minutes, and ending the night with her first clean sheet in her first start of the 2026 season, after coming back from injury.

Quotable:

“Really proud of this group,” said RSL Head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “The balance today lent itself to probably our most complete performance of the year and another performance that we have to continue to build upon.”

“Tonight was huge for us,” said Lacasse. “I think we did so well as a team. There were a lot of moments that we did suffer, but I honestly think the best teams know how to suffer in the hardest moments. I think today was honestly probably one of the first times that — since I’ve been here — we were able to do that and come out with a win.”

A winning Saturday:Game summary

From first to final whistle, RSL remained relentless in its attack, scoring two or more goals for the seventh time in its last nine matches. With 15 shots on goal compared to Portland’s two, the Claret-and-Cobalt fought for possession and opportunity. First-half strikes from Gozo and Luna gave RSL firm control of the match early, establishing an aggressive attacking rhythm that put its opponent on the back foot from opening stages.

Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral maintained a brick wall throughout the 90 minutes, with a one-handed, diving save in the 26th minute followed by another stopper less than 60 seconds later. Cabral earned his first clean sheet of the 2026 season, with his last coming 12 games ago, on Oct. 4, 2025 against Colorado. With Gozo’s early strike and Luna’s 25th goal of his RSL career, the Claret-and-Cobalt protected America First Field — where it has won 13 and drawn two in its last 19 home matches since June 1 — adding a sixth overall win to its record through 10 matches this season.

The Royals opened the away match with an aggressive attacking pace, putting early pressure on goal through multiple shots from Cronin and Janni Thomsen. Their persistence paid off in the 33rd minute when Cronin drove down the right side and delivered a cross to Lacasse, who headed it just past the post to give Utah a 1—0 lead — marking Lacasse’s second straight game with a goal and Cronin’s first assist of the 2026 season.

Strong defensive play and key saves from McGlynn, including a crucial stop in the 36th minute and another in the 76th, helped preserve the advantage as the Royals closed out a 1-0 win despite Angel City playing a man down in the second half. The result extended Utah’s strong run to four straight wins and five games unbeaten.

Up next

After two consecutive doubleheader weekends, Utah Soccer looks forward to another game-filled week, with URFC hosting the Houston Dash this Wednesday in Sandy. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT, with tickets available for purchase at rsl.com. The Claret-and-Cobalt face FC Dallas in North Texas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MDT, with streaming available on AppleTV.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team probably doesn't want to make this a habit, but it's sure fun while it lasts.

For the second straight night, the Ducks found themselves down to Washington in the middle of the game only to have the bats come alive and beat the Huskies 10-4 in Seattle.

With the win, Oregon moves to 35-11 overall and 17-6 in Big Ten action. The Ducks are tied for second with Nebraska. As for the Dawgs, they drop to 20-26 overall and just 9-14 in conference play.

Oregon was down 4-1 after four innings of play and then Maddox Molony decided to join the party. The Duck shortstop hasn't had the season that was expected of him, but he came through in a huge way on this night. Molony finished the night 3-for-3 with two homers and six runs driven in.

Molony's big night began when he smacked a two-run home run to bring the Ducks to within 4-3 in the fifth inning. He then gave Oregon the lead in the sixth on a two-run single to give the Ducks a 5-4 lead.

But Oregon was far from being done. In the seventh, Angel Laya gave the Ducks some breathing room with a big three-run homer for a 9-4 advantage.

Molony came up again in the eighth and added a second homer for good measure.

To the Huskies' credit, they scared the Ducks some as the Dawgs had runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh, and eighth, but the Oregon bullpen bore down and managed to get the outs it needed. Washington had the bases loaded with just one out in the eighth, but closer Devin Bell came in and coaxed Mic Paul to ground out into a 6-3 double play to end the threat.

Bell wasn't credited with a save with the score being what it was, but it might have been the biggest five outs of the season. But Bell or the Ducks don't care if he was credited with a save or not. Oregon's bullpen has thrown nine scoreless innings in this series.

Oregon will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ducks rally for the second straight night to defeat Washington

Barclay Goodrow was a mainstay on a revitalized San Jose Sharks’ fourth line.

Whether he was joined by young center Zack Ostapchuk, or veterans like Adam Gaudette or Ryan Reaves, their straight-forward play was a big part of the Sharks’ success this season. Also, the two-time Stanley Cup champion was a locker room leader.

So, what did Goodrow think of Macklin Celebrini and Ostapchuk’s development? How did the San Jose Sharks grow throughout the season? How did Goodrow feel about his own game? The veteran discussed it all in his exit interview two weeks ago.

Barclay Goodrow, on what the San Jose Sharks learned during their playoff push:

I think we learned a lot of lessons. Obviously, we played meaningful games up until the last two games of the season. The pressure got higher, the stakes got higher, and we got a taste of how we need to play, right from the get-go, to put ourselves in a better position to be in the playoffs next year.

I think a lot of valuable lessons were learned from an individual aspect, team aspect. And I think a year like this is hugely important for taking the next step. I think we put ourselves in a good position to be in the playoffs next year.

Goodrow, on Celebrini’s leadership:

He’s speaking out more. For such a young guy, his voice carries a lot of weight in the locker room. I think when he steps up and says something, everyone’s listening and everyone’s following. His character kind of speaks for itself.

He’s the leader of this team, and [we] wouldn’t have been in the position we were in so late in the season, without him throwing us on his back. So, he’s a great leader, great teammate, and he had an amazing year.

Goodrow, on Zack Ostapchuk’s development:

I love playing with [Ostapchuk.] I think he brings a lot, brings a lot to the team. Obviously, his speed. His faceoffs became a huge part of our line, 5-on-5 and on the [penalty] kill.

[Penalty] killed a lot with him, too. You can see his game just getting better. He’s getting more comfortable. He’s making more plays with the puck. Realizing just how he can use his speed and how effective he can be on the forecheck. I thought he grew a lot as a player, and he was a joy to play with.

Goodrow, on how special this team was:

Just the closeness of everyone here. We’re always laughing, always joking around, having a good time. The older guys were always getting chirped for being old, and it’s just how it is. We didn’t take everything too seriously. We were at our best when we were loose, having a good time, and enjoying every moment.

Goodrow, on equipment manager Mike Aldrich’s retirement:

[Aldrich is] the best. You won’t find another equipment manager, another guy in any organization like him. He can go in his office to heat up some skates, and two hours later, he’s still sitting there, just talking. He was there my first year in the league, first game, and I’m glad that I’m here for his last two [seasons.]

Goodrow, on memories from this season:

Pittsburgh comeback was pretty special. But honestly, late in the year, when we saw the Tank crowd really starting to embrace the run that we were on. Tuesday, Wednesday night games where previous years might be a little dead… a lot dead.

It’s great to see the crowd back, bringing the energy. You get texts from guys, from other teams being like, “Oh, it’s great to see the Tank rocking again.” So, I’d say a lot of those home games were pretty memorable, and we’re looking forward to growing even bigger next year.

Goodrow, on his play and having more time last off-season to train and recover:

I felt pretty good about it, felt better than when you asked me that last year. A full summer definitely helped reset my body and allowed me time to work on things that—when you only have two months in the gym versus three or four, you’re kind of time crunched with things you can really get better at. So, I think adding another summer on will benefit me a lot. Not only next year, but for years after that.

See the full interview here

The post Goodrow Excited About Revitalized Shark Tank, Ostapchuk’s Growth appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now.