Boston Legacy FC defeated the Utah Royals 2-1 on the road Friday, earning its first win in over a month.
The Swans looked more like their usual selves and produced a performance that was miles better than the one earlier in the week. The victory brought the team up to 14th in the league with a total of 23 points.
Head coach Filipa Patão made three changes to her previous lineup. Laurel Ivory got her second start in goal behind Deja Davis, Jorelyn Carabali, and Bianca St-Georges. Nicki Hernandez, Barbara Olivieri, Sarah Schupansky, Annie Karich, and Alba Caño took the midfield. Aïssata Traoré and Sammy Smith were at the top.
Here are three thoughts from the game.
Better Halves
The Royals had the upper hand in the first half, but BLFC had an easier time controlling the ball and entering the final third.
Utah nearly scored an own goal in the eleventh minute after Olivieri attempted a shot that was blocked. The ball hit the left post and ricocheted toward Traoré, who was in front of the goal and tapped in her eighth goal of the season.
Boston keeps the pressure on and Aïssata Traoré pounces on the rebound 💥
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 4, 2026 at 9:55 PM
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In the 17th minute, Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn sent a long ball up to Kiana Palacios in the final third. Palacios won the footrace against Davis and fired the ball into the far post.
Boston took some time to reorganize after the equalizer and was unable to break Utah’s press directly after the goal. Once they were able to play through, there were more giveaways and wayward passes.
The Swans mostly relied on the outside channels to advance their attack, and even Traoré, who usually plays centrally, favored the wing. Both teams ended the half with seven shots. Boston held 49 percent possession and had nine final third entries while Utah had 27.
Amanda Allen replaced Smith at the start of the second half. She only recorded one shot on target, but provided support in and near the box that was lacking before the break. Her presence also helped pull defenders away for Boston’s last goal of the night. This was Allen’s sixth appearance in the last seven games.
“No matter if she has time or not inside the games, she wants to improve,” Patão said postgame. “She works better and better every training. And right now, she deserves this time, and she's having a good performance.”
Aleigh Gambone came on for Schupansky in the 70th minute, and Amanda Gutierres and Josefine Hasbo replaced Traoré and Karich in the 84th.
Nicki Hernandez dispossessed Utah in the final minutes and sent a cross into the box. Gambone made an unmarked run toward the goal and dove just in time to head the ball in, earning her second goal this season.
Utah’s only two shots came in the last 10 minutes, while Boston took seven throughout the second half, five of which were on target. The Swans held 54% possession and recorded 28 final entries compared to Utah’s 19.
Late Goals
Gambone’s 86th-minute game-winning goal made Friday’s match the fifth consecutive game that the Legacy has scored in the final 10 minutes. Out of the club’s 28 goals this season, this was also the 10th goal scored after the 80th minute. If there's consistency anywhere, it's the club's grit in the final minutes.
Schupansky has only been with the team for a few weeks, but she immediately witnessed how the Swans operate when closing out a game. Even during her debut, she was the orchestrator of a late goal.
“They don't only show up and fight like that on game days. That's every day in training, and that's every day in the meeting room and the weight room and everything like that,” Schupansky said of her new teammates. “This is a group that's trying to put their best foot forward day in and day out, and that just shows on the field.”
As the team looks to earn more points in the following games, Boston will need to figure out how to hold that fighting mentality for the entirety of a game, especially in the minutes after conceding goals.
Back to Basics
The Legacy did not fare well in August, and it culminated in Monday’s brutal 5-2 loss, one of the worst performances the team has put on display thus far. Friday’s victory isn’t a sign that everything has been fixed, but the players and coaches are reminding themselves of the team values.
“We've felt like we've really strayed away from who we are and a bit of our identity from probably the Portland game, [and] I think we felt a little bit lost,” Ivory said.
The quick turnaround between this week’s games gave Boston limited time to prepare for Friday. Patão chose to spend less time talking tactics and instead focused on the players’ mental fortitude by returning to the basics and working together to find the root of their recent struggles.
“They were so strong, and I'm very proud of our team that came back from a difficult and hard position, and we showed that we didn't lose the things that we have and the things that we built,” Patão said after the match. “We just were a little bit lost inside our fears and inside the bad things that happened to us, and we came back and showed character after that.”
Before the Utah game, BLFC had only won one of its nine away games. The coach insists that renewed confidence was the catalyst to making less mistakes during the game and eking out a win on the road.
“We said [before the game] that Boston is not searching for winners, they are searching for fighters,” the coach said. “They search for these fighters in the games, in the teams of Boston, so we just [reminded] the players of that.”
Boston Legacy will be back on the road next week and will face the Washington Spirit at Audi Field on Sunday, September 13.
