Red Stars open season with road win in Utah

It was the opening game for the expansion Utah Royals, and they were playing at home.

But there are a lot of new things about the Red Stars, too, including new ownership and a new coach in Lorne Donaldson. And the new-look Red Stars took care of business with a 2-0 victory in the season opener before a sellout crowd of 20,370 at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.

Allison Schlegel scored the first goal of the season in the 50th minute off an assist from Sam Staab. Ava Cook provided an insurance goal in the 77th minute off an assist from Allison McKenna Cook.

‘‘Keeping that hard work, that effort, that grit, you know, that’s from Chicago . . . I think we wear that on our sleeves and that’s something we’re going to grow into as the season moves forward,’’ Schlegel said.

The Red Stars’ home opener is at 3 p.m. Saturday against the Seattle Reign at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

The game marked the return of Mallory Swanson, who suffered a torn patellar tendon last April.

The Red Stars finished with a league-worst 7-12-3 record last season, so starting off with a win is a good start to 2024.