Jordyn Huitema's Late Winner Ends Utah Royals' 10-Game Unbeaten Run as Chicago Stars Win 3-2

Four minutes from the end of regulation in a match that would not sit still, Jordyn Huitema found herself in the right place one more time. Mallory Swanson's corner, a Maitane header drifting wide, and then Huitema, right foot, bottom left corner. Martin Stadium in Evanston exhaled.

Chicago Stars FC beat the Utah Royals 3-2 on Sunday afternoon, coming from behind after Utah had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead early in the second half. Huitema scored twice, Sam Staab bent in a free kick, and the Stars ended Utah's 10-game unbeaten streak, a run the Royals' own recap called historic. It was also Utah's first match back from the international break, per the club, and the Royals will not remember it fondly.

Swanson Sets the Table, Huitema Eats

Utah came out with intent. Cece Delzer met a Cloé Lacasse cross in the third minute and forced Katie Atkinson into a save, and for a few minutes the visitors looked like the team with the better record, which they very much were.

Chicago answered with set pieces. In a frantic seventh minute, Huitema headed a Swanson corner wide, Taylor Wood had a header blocked and Staab put another over the bar. Chicago's recap said Swanson created four chances in the first half alone, and she was the engine of nearly everything the Stars built.

The breakthrough came in the 20th minute. Maitane had a shot blocked, the ball stayed alive, and Brianna Pinto served a cross that Huitema slid onto with her left foot for a 1-0 lead. Chicago noted it was Pinto's first assist as a Star.

Utah kept probing. Narumi Miura had a long-range effort blocked and Courtney Brown fired over in the 25th minute. Huitema went down for a stoppage in the 31st but carried on. Then, in the 43rd, Lacasse found space in the middle of the box and drilled a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Utah's recap credited Alexa Spaanstra with the cross and said it was Lacasse's fifth goal of the season.

Chicago nearly answered before the break. Mandy McGlynn saved an Aaliyah Farmer header in the first minute of stoppage time and a Jameese Joseph shot in the second, and Swanson slid a shot just wide from the six-yard box moments later. The Stars outshot Utah 9-5 in the half and went to the locker room level at 1-1.

A Penalty, a Free Kick and a Wild Second Half

Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets sent on Madison Hammond for Brown at the break, and the Royals took over. Kiana Palacios forced Atkinson into a save at the bottom right corner in the 47th minute. In the 50th, Wood was penalized for a foul on Delzer in the box, VAR backed the call, and Delzer rolled the penalty into the bottom right corner in the 54th. Utah said she is now two for two from the spot in her career.

The lead lasted five minutes. Ana Tejada fouled Huitema in the 58th, and Staab stood over the ball and curled a left-footed free kick into the top left corner. Chicago's recap added a fun footnote: it was only the second direct free-kick goal in club history, and Staab scored the first one too, on Sept. 9, 2025, at the same stadium. It was also her first goal of the season and the fourth of her career.

From there, Utah threw bodies forward. Delzer, Palacios and Miura all had shots blocked in a three-minute span starting in the 63rd minute. Joseph forced McGlynn into another save in the 73rd. The Royals made a double change in the 78th, sending on Brecken Mozingo and Lara Prasnikar.

The Header That Got Away

If you want the moment the match flipped, look at the 82nd minute. Tejada delivered a corner, and Hammond rose for a header from very close range. It went high and wide to the left. That was Utah's best look at a winner, and it vanished into the Evanston air.

Four minutes later, Chicago made it count. Michelle Alozie set up Joseph for a shot from a tight angle that McGlynn pushed away at the top right corner. Swanson took the corner, Maitane's header was missing to the right, and Huitema was there to finish. Nine minutes of stoppage time followed, including a delay for Atkinson in the sixth added minute, but Utah never found the equalizer.

The Stars of the Show

Jordyn Huitema scored twice on three shots, and Chicago said it was her first brace as a Star. Both goals came from set-piece situations, which says plenty about her timing and Chicago's delivery.

Sam Staab scored the free kick that swung the match back and helped a back line that won 16 of 17 tackles, according to ESPN's data.

Jameese Joseph put all three of her shots on target. McGlynn stopped every one of them, but Joseph's last effort produced the corner that won the game.

For Utah, Cloé Lacasse scored and set up five of Utah's attempts, and Cece Delzer put two of her three shots on target, including the penalty. Mandy McGlynn made four saves, and Utah said one of those stops was the 200th of her career, which made her the 18th goalkeeper in the NWSL to get there.

By the Numbers

• Shots on goal: Chicago 7, Utah 4.
• Possession: Utah 56 percent, Chicago 44.
• Tackles: Chicago won 16 of 17.
• Blocked shots: Utah had six attempts blocked.
• Crosses: Utah tried 19, completing five.

Where Both Sides Stand

Chicago improves to four wins, no draws and nine losses with 12 points. Utah's recap listed the Stars 14th. It was Chicago's first home win since a 2-0 victory over Boston Legacy FC on April 25, after three straight home defeats. The Stars head to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to face Boston on Friday, July 10.

Utah falls to seven wins, three draws and three losses with 24 points, and the Royals' own recap still had them third. The defeat was their first since a 2-1 home loss to San Diego Wave FC on March 22, and it flips the script on April's meeting, when Utah beat Chicago 1-0 at home. Next up for the Royals is a home date with Gotham FC on Friday, July 10.

The Final Word

This match played out like a Christopher Nolan film: timelines folding over each other, every lead temporary, nobody quite sure which version of reality would stick. Utah had the better first act and the better season. Chicago had Huitema in the final reel, and in this league, that is often enough.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details as reported by ChicagoStars.com and the Utah Royals on RSL.com.