Boston Legacy FC managed a 2-2 draw against the San Diego Wave at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday.
The Swans (9-14-6) stayed true to their word and proved a nuisance for the Wave (17-8-4) as the opponents tried to stay in contention for the NWSL Shield, an award given to the team with the best regular season record. A Legacy win would have crowned Gotham FC the Shield winners, but Boston wasn’t going to make it that easy for any party involved. The Wave and Gotham will now have to wait for Decision Day (November 1) to fight for the top spot.
In the meantime, Boston moves to 13th in the league with 33 points.
Head coach Filipa Patão made a few lineup changes to go up against second-ranked San Diego. Laurel Ivory got her fourth start in goal behind Lilly Reale, Deja Davis, Laís Araújo, and Bianca St-Georges. Barbara Olivieri, Annie Karich, Alba Caño, and Aïssata Traoré made up the midfield, and Amanda Gutierres and Sarah Schupansky were up front.
Here are three thoughts from the game.
New GK in Town
The Wave took control of the opening 45, leaving Boston with 39% possession by the end of the half. Boston had two of six shots on target. The Legacy’s press was minimal due to the inability to find space amid the Wave’s overloads.
As BLFC struggled to find its footing, Ivory was the player keeping the Legacy in the game. San Diego recorded two of eight shots on target, but could not convert.
The keeper had two saves and seven recoveries in the first half. The Wave nearly took the lead in the 34th minute after Lia Godfrey got a rebound into the back of the net following two back-to-back saves from Ivory. The goal was ruled offside.
“I was really happy with the saves I made prior to that,” Ivory said about the play. “They're things that I've been working on, they're things that–it doesn't just happen. It's things that you put hours and days and weeks into training with those moments and to be able to execute that, I was really happy with.”
“I think it, in a way, [was] almost a wake up call of just like, ‘Yo, okay, we really got to get it together,’” the goalkeeper said after the game.
That situation, along with several pauses in play for injuries, allowed the Legacy to regroup. The team gained more possession at the end of the half and carried the momentum into the second.
Midfield Maestros
Karich and Caño remain BLFC’s most dependable players; the duo has started all 29 games this season and played the most minutes (2,548 and 2,447 minutes, respectively) of the rest of the team.
Karich scored her first goal for the club Sunday, a week after recording her first assist (for a Caño goal). The Southern California native was the first to a corner kick rebound and got her team on the board in the 48th minute.
Less than 10 minutes later, San Diego was up 2-1 as a result of a Gia Corley low ball into the far post and Trinity Byars forcing an Araújo own goal shortly after.
The Legacy had better execution with its high press after the 60th minute. Boston started playing long, sending service to its forwards and stretching the field to avoid San Diego’s midfield.
In the 73rd minute, Caño received the ball and turned toward the goal to fire a bullet into the top right corner of the net.
“I remember getting the ball and seeing a ton of space. The least I can do is take advantage of any space I have,” Caño recalled the play. “I think it may have caught the keeper off guard. I was far from the goal, but you never know, and I don't think she expected it.”
The equalizer was Caño’s fifth of the season and a prime example of why her contract was recently extended to 2029. Though coming to a new league and country may have been tough in the beginning, the 23-year-old is excited for what’s ahead.
“Leaving [FC Barcelona] is never easy, and coming here was very challenging, especially being so far from my family,” she said after the game. “But this group is full of great humans, and we’re all friends, which has made everything easier. We’re building something great for the coming years.”
Monday on Sunday
Gift Monday made her Legacy debut Sunday, over two weeks since the club announced its newest signee.
The forward entered the level game at the 74th minute to replace Karich and got seven touches on the ball. Monday had the opportunity to try for a game-winning goal during stoppage time but instead passed the ball back to Ella Stevens, who sent it over the net.
“She didn't try to finish that ball because it was, ‘Okay, either I miss, or I will make the goal.’ And I think she didn't want the responsibility for her in that moment.” Patão said postgame. “But it's normal when a player arrives in these types of situations. We know that she has talent, but if you are not mentally ready and confident to step up and be you to [get] these three points, this can happen.”
Monday has only had four training sessions with her new club, and the coach acknowledged the challenge of integrating a new player so late into the season.
“Of course, she isn't going to completely understand all the movements and all the things that she needs to do, but the talent is there,” the coach said. “In training, she's showing that she's ready.”
There’s no cause for concern, says the coach; it’s only a matter of confidence and time.
The 24-year-old made 18 appearances for the Washington Spirit this season and averaged 24 minutes per game. It has been over two months since she saw a decent amount of playing time for club, so she will need time to adjust and become accustomed to having more opportunities to be impactful on the field.
The Boston Legacy will stay in SoCal through the week and will play its last match against Angel City FC on Sunday, November 1.
