Angel City FC and Utah Royals draw 1-1

Angel City FC, buoyed by a second-half goal from Sydney Leroux, drew with the Utah Royals 1-1 at Los Angeles' BMO Stadium on Sunday.

The Royals (7-4-14) struck first, scoring in the 21st minute thanks to Claudia Zornoza's free kick that found the top right corner of the net.

Angel City's defense managed to hold off further goals despite multiple attempts from Utah.

Angel City (7-6-12) made strategic substitutions at halftime. Leroux replaced Claire Emslie and quickly made her presence felt. In the 57th minute, Leroux scored on a right-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner after receiving a headed pass from Gisele Thompson following a corner kick.

Both teams had been eliminated from the playoff hunt by virtue of Bay FC's postseason-clinching victory on Saturday. 

Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic played a crucial role with nine saves.

For Utah, Ally Sentnor and Mina Tanaka created numerous scoring opportunities but failed to convert them into goals. Cameron Tucker came off the bench due to an injury substitution for Cloé Lacasse late in the first half and added some attacking flair but couldn't help the Royals break through Angel City's defense again. Goalkeeper Mandy Haught had three saves. 

Up next: Utah will host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Nov. 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET, while Angel City will play at the Portland Thorns FC at 10 ET that same evening.

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