Mina Tanaka's Late Strike Earns Utah Royals a 1-1 Draw at the Washington Spirit

Rebeca Bernal's header held up for 66 minutes. Mina Tanaka needed 23 minutes off the bench to make it irrelevant.

Tanaka pounced in the 84th minute to give the Utah Royals a 1-1 draw with the Washington Spirit on Wednesday night at Audi Field, in front of 9,349 fans. Bernal had put the Spirit ahead in the 18th minute. Utah, 0-1-2, finally has a point on the board after two losses to open the season. Washington, the 2025 NWSL runner-up, moves to 0-2-1 and is still waiting for its first win of 2026.

Bernal Breaks the Ice

The Spirit came out on the front foot. Bernal sent an early warning shot high and wide in the sixth minute, and in the 18th, the pressure paid off. Off a corner sequence, Trinity Rodman teed up Sofia Cantore, whose shot was blocked, and Bernal was right there to head the loose ball into the roof of the net from point-blank range. According to the Spirit, it was her first goal since joining the club last year.

Utah did not fold. Cloé Lacasse had a shot blocked two minutes later, and Ana Tejada kept testing the back line, first with a long-range effort over the bar in the 31st minute and then with a header that slid just wide in the 38th. Rodman was busy at the other end, but she sent two efforts over the crossbar and saw Mia Justus save a third in the 34th minute. In first-half stoppage time, Tejada nearly equalized from the middle of the box, but Sandy MacIver made the save, and both clubs said the ball came back off the crossbar.

Justus Keeps Utah Breathing

The second half opened like a shooting gallery aimed at Justus. Tejada headed wide from close range off a corner in the 48th minute, and then Washington went to work. Justus stopped Cantore in the 49th, Rodman in the 54th and Rosemonde Kouassi in the 57th. Utah's recap called two of those stops one-on-one saves, and without them this game is over.

Head coach Jimmy Coenraets went to his bench in the 61st minute with a triple change: Tanaka, Courtney Brown and Miyabi Moriya. Per Utah, Tanaka and Moriya were available for the first time in 2026 after winning the AFC Women's Asian Cup with Japan. Tanaka got a header blocked within three minutes and forced MacIver into a save with another header in the 78th. Washington had its own chance to put the game away in the 80th minute, when Claudia Martínez missed the target from very close range after a Rodman pass. That miss would sting.

The Turning Point

The equalizer came out of a sequence that looked harmless for a second. MacIver had just saved a Kate Del Fava header in the 84th minute when Cece Delzer, by Utah's account, stepped in front of a loose Washington pass at the top of the box, danced past one defender and rolled the ball across the face of goal. Tanaka was waiting and finished right-footed from close range into the bottom right corner.

Utah says the goal extended a club-record run to 12 straight matches with a goal and was the 100th in Royals history. Tanaka even had a second goal waved off for offside in stoppage time, which would have turned a smash-and-grab into a heist. Before that, neither side settled for the point quietly: Leicy Santos, an 82nd-minute substitute, forced Justus into one more save in the 89th minute, and Tejada curled a shot just wide a minute later.

Who Showed Up

Tanaka needed less than half an hour to put three shots up, two on target, and score the goal that mattered. Delzer's assist came from pure anticipation, and Justus finished with five saves, the reason Utah was still alive when the late chance came.

For Washington, Rodman led the attack with six shots, two on target, but she could not find the finish. Bernal gave the Spirit the lead, and MacIver made three saves. Tejada matched Rodman's six shots for Utah, though only one of hers hit the target. Brecken Mozingo was Utah's chief supplier, whipping in the crosses that produced Tejada's 48th-minute header and both of Del Fava's late headers, and Del Fava came close twice herself.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Utah 18, Washington 16, but the Spirit put 6 on goal to Utah's 4.
• Saves: Justus 5, MacIver 3.
• Tackles: Utah won 24 of its 36 attempts. Washington won 13 of 17.
• Crosses: Utah completed 10 of 21. Washington completed just 2 of 16.
• Possession: A dead heat, 50.1 percent for Utah to 49.9 for Washington.

What It Means

Utah opened the season with a 2-1 loss at the Kansas City Current and a 2-1 home loss to the San Diego Wave, so a point on the road against last season's runner-up is a real step. The Royals continue their two-game trip at Boston Legacy FC on Saturday before hosting Chicago Stars FC on April 3.

Washington's start is more worrying. A 1-0 home loss to the Portland Thorns, a 2-2 draw at Racing Louisville FC and now this add up to two points from three matches. Next comes a trip to Denver Summit FC on Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High, where the Spirit say more than 50,000 tickets had already been sold for a match expected to break the NWSL's single-match attendance record. Big stage, and a team that badly needs a big performance.

Closing Take

Every ensemble movie has that one actor who shows up late in the third act and walks off with the whole thing. Tanaka was on the field for a fraction of the night, and hers is the name that defines it. The Spirit, meanwhile, head to Denver with an 80th-minute miss to chew on and a home lead they could not protect.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional match details from RSL.com/UtahRoyals and WashingtonSpirit.com.