Somehow, someway Boston Legacy FC extended its unbeaten streak to five games Friday after tying 1-1 against Bay FC.
The Legacy finished a long week of games and travel in California and were able to grind out one point despite being down a player for half the game. Boston now has nine points and remains in 14th place in the league.
Coach Filipa Patão started Casey Murphy in goal and had Emerson Elgin, Laís Araujo, and Bianca St-Georges on the back line. Annie Karich, Alba Caño, Josefine Hasbo, and Chloe Ricketts took the midfield. Amanda Gutierres started as striker with Sammy Smith on her left and Nichelle Prince on her right.
Here are three thoughts from the game:
Reds, Yellows, and More Fouls
Bianca St-Georges was given a red card at the end of the first half for a studs-up tackle on Bay FC’s Claire Hutton. This is her second red card this season.
Annie Karich received a yellow card in the second half for coming in contact with an opponent’s ankle.
The Legacy lead the league with 23 yellow cards and 154 fouls over 10 games. Patão once again noted that contact is a part of the sport.
“My players never want to do fouls. The only thing my players want is to recover the ball fast, because we like to play in possession,” she said. “Our goal never is make more fouls, or stop the game, or be aggressive in a bad way. ... We are not mean, we just want to recover the ball fast … and play football. And football is contact."
BLFC were called for nine fouls on Friday.
Bay had 11 fouls, one of which resulted in a yellow card for goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and a penalty kick for Boston in the second half.
The referee said Silkowitz “committed a reckless offense by lifting her leg in a reckless manner towards” Aïssata Traoré. Gutierres took the penalty once again and slotted it into the lower left corner of the net, equalizing the game. That marked her second goal of the season.
Defensive Masterclass
It may be hard to believe considering how well she’s done the last few games, but Elgin did not receive any playing time until three weeks ago. The 23-year-old debuted against the Chicago Stars at the end of April and has since started and played the full 90 minutes for all games since then.
Elgin cleared six balls and recorded eight recoveries against Bay FC. She also won three of five duels and had nine carries.
“She can find players in the pockets, players in opposite sides, she can play under pressure, and I think a central back in our team needs to have these qualities,” Patao said about the defender. “Defensively, she's getting better and better. She’s a fast player, a player that understands when she needs to do step forwards, when she needs to protect the deep, so I think she's improving every game.”
As the goalkeeper, Murphy has obviously played a big role in extending the unbeaten streak. Bay FC had 19 shots throughout the game, and Murphy made eight saves and 16 recoveries.
“At halftime [we discussed] how we can go out in the second half and put out a better performance and stick through it,” Murphy said after the game. “We just had to stay strong [and] that's what makes great teams. Teams that are able to adapt, teams that are able to fight, teams that don't give up.”
I’d be remiss to not mention Karich as well. Aside from Murphy, she is the only other player who has played the entirety of all 10 games. The defensive mid is a stalwart on the field and her composure on the ball and under pressure has become a hallmark of her game.
