Kiana Palacios makes history: Utah Royals knock out San Diego Wave 1-0 in their first-ever NWSL playoff match

Utah Royals played the first playoff match in their history on Friday and turned it into an unforgettable night: they beat San Diego Wave 1-0 at Snapdragon Stadium, knocked out the NWSL regular season's second seed and booked a place in the semifinals. The goal, the club's first in a postseason, came from Mexico international Kiana Palacios in the 30th minute, assisted by Cloé Lacasse.

One goal, and a keeper to protect it

The move started with a low cross from Lacasse. Palacios controlled it in the box and finished into the right-hand corner past Sandra Paños to silence the 12,638 in attendance. It was her fifth goal of the season and the Canadian's eleventh assist, according to the San Diego club's official match report.

The rest of the game belonged to San Diego, who finished with 16 shots to 8 and five on target to two, but never found a way past Mandy McGlynn. The Utah goalkeeper pushed away a Melanie Barcenas header in the opening minutes, dealt with a deflected Ludmila effort in the 61st minute and denied Gia Corley late on. She finished with four saves and her sixth clean sheet of the year.

"Unbelievable, it's just everything you could hope for," McGlynn said afterwards, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The seventh seed's statement

The context makes the upset even bigger. Utah, who entered the postseason as the seventh seed, had never beaten or drawn with San Diego: they had lost all six previous meetings, including both this year (2-1 and 4-2). Jimmy Coenraets' side also ended a four-match winless run at exactly the right moment.

For San Diego it is a fourth straight playoff defeat and a second consecutive quarterfinal exit. Jonas Eidevall's team, who finished the regular season in second place, have not won a postseason match since beating Chicago in 2022.

"I refuse to let that define our season," Eidevall said, as quoted by The Sporting Tribune.

What comes next

• Utah Royals will play the semifinal on the road against the winner of Washington Spirit (3) vs Portland Thorns (6), which is played this Sunday.
• The quarterfinals continue over the weekend with the remaining ties, including the opener for Gotham FC, the reigning champions and Shield winners, against Seattle Reign.

For a club playing its first postseason in 2026, the 1-0 in San Diego is already the biggest match in its history. And there are at least ninety more minutes to come.

Sources: Associated Press (via ABC News), San Diego Wave FC (official site), Equalizer Soccer, The Sporting Tribune.