Cloé Lacasse's hat trick propels Utah Royals past Seattle Reign

Cloé Lacasse scored a hat trick to lead the Utah Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Reign at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, on Sunday.

With the win, the Royals improve to 7-3-14 and keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Reign (5-5-14) were eliminated from postseason contention.

Lacasse opened the scoring in the third minute, capitalizing on a corner kick with a left-footed shot from close range. She doubled her tally in the 20th minute with another clinical finish and completed her hat trick in first-half stoppage time, assisted by Claudia Zornoza.

The match took an early turn when Angharad James-Turner of Seattle was sent off after receiving two yellow cards within the first 16 minutes. Playing with 10 players for most of the game, Seattle struggled to mount any significant offense against a dominant Utah side. Royals goalie Mandy Haught made one save to record her fourth clean sheet of the season, while Seattle goalkeeper Claudia Dickey made five saves.

Up next: The Royals visit Angel City FC on Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Reign host the Houston Dash on Oct. 18 at 10 p.m.

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