Boston Legacy FC is rising through the ranks after beating the Orlando Pride 1-0 and earning its first road win on Wednesday.
The Swans (4-7-4) now have 16 points and are 12th in the league, though several teams have games in hand.
Head coach Filipa Patão made only one change to her previous starting roster, replacing Amanda Gutierres with Ella Stevens. The team lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Casey Murphy in goal and Emerson Elgin, Jorelyn Carabalí, and Bianca St-Georges on defense. Lilly Reale and Nichelle Prince were on the wings alongside Annie Karich, Alba Caño, and Bárbara Olivieri in the midfield. Aïssata Traoré and Stevens took the front.
Here are three thoughts from the game.
We’ve Been Here Before
Adding on to the list of achievements, the team had its second shutout of the season after recording the first one five days prior. And just like the team’s return from the April break, this restart has delivered another unbeaten streak.
The last time the two teams met in May, Boston got a 2-1 win, but the game and conditions were very different. In that match, the Legacy maintained its high press and used all substitutions to continue driving into the final third and eventually score both goals in the last 30 minutes.
This time around, the Swans had the advantage first, then resorted to a low block in the latter half of the game as Orlando tried to equalize.
Another Goalscorer
Olivieri earned her first goal for the Legacy at the 17th minute by striking the ball into the low right corner of the net, nutmegging her defender in the process.
“It was a great team build up, I think, too,” Olivieri recounted her goal postgame. “So it was just really cool to finish it off and yeah, it was nice.”
She is the seventh Legacy player to score this season.
Early Leads
The early goal marked the third time the team has opened the scoring and gone into the second half with a lead. Last week, Patão said her team needed more experience in scoring first so they can understand how to better manage the game.
Between Orlando’s attack and the hot, fatigue-inducing weather, keeping the lead was not an easy feat for the Swans.
“It was tough … we just had to grind,” Stevens said after the game. “To go up early like that, and then to hold that lead is really hard. I think players just put their heads down and worked.”
Though the Legacy were able to create more opportunities in the first half, the second half was more challenging. BLFC kept 48% possession throughout the game and were outshot 13 to eight. Boston only took one shot in the second half.
Orlando’s Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Solai Washington, and Barbra Banda proved the biggest threats in the final third, but Boston’s back line was able to fend them off. Murphy made two saves in the match.
Ovalle nearly equalized in the 41st minute after scoring an Olimpico, but the referee called the goal back due to contact between a Pride defender and Murphy.
During a Boston corner kick minutes later, Ovalle pulled on Carabalí’s jersey, bringing her to the ground. After a VAR review, the referee ruled that there was no foul. Patão was incredulous on the sideline after the referee made his ruling.
“I feel that [it started] to be very hard to whistle in our favor in some situations,” said the coach. “But again, it’s [the referee’s] decision. I cannot do anything about that.”
Patão and her team will continue working on controlling the game and focusing on possession when defending rather than dropping.
“We have the soul to survive in these types of moments, and we are building this culture to be a team that knows how to suffer, but at the same time knows how to win games, not just be competitive,” the coach said.
The Legacy will face second-ranked Washington Spirit on Sunday, July 19 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Rhode Island.
