Boston Legacy FC secured another three points on the road after defeating the Washington Spirit 3-0 at Audi Field.
The Legacy (7-12-5) beat the second-ranked Spirit (13-7-4) to move up to 13th in the league with 26 points.
Head Coach Filipa Patão fielded the same lineup as in the previous game, with the exception of Casey Murphy being back in goal. Bianca St-Georges, Jorelyn Carabali, and Deja Davis made up the defensive line. Annie Karich, Alba Caño, and Barbara Olivieri took the midfield between Nicki Hernandez and Aïssata Traoré on the wings. Sammy Smith and Sarah Schupansky started at the top.
Here are three thoughts from the game:
Creatures of Habit
Traoré recovered a loose ball in the box at the 81st minute and opened the floodgates. She took a shot toward the backpost, nutmegging a defender in the process. The ball rolled past Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver, then hit the post and went into the net.
Aïssata Traoré hustles and sneaks it into the net! 🤌 The Boston Legacy lead Washington Spirit 1-0!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM
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This was the Malian's ninth goal of the season and the fourth consecutive game in which she has scored.
Amanda Gutierres replaced Traoré in the 84th minute and got right to work.
“We wanted to try to keep those [substitutions] at least running in behind,” assistant coach Bárbara Reis said after the match. “If not to receive, at least to create those gaps and leave space for our midfield to to keep playing and to reach those final third opportunities.”
Gutierres dispossessed a Spirit player in Boston’s half during stoppage time and made the run up the field. She caught MacIver outside of her 18 yard box and effortlessly curled the ball into the net, earning her sixth goal of the season.
Amanda Gutierres took it herself for this goal 🤯
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM
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But one goal wasn’t enough.
“I think after the first goal, they left too many gaps,” Gutierres said in Portuguese after the match. “The game was open, a lot of transitions, so I went to try the second goal.”
Lilly Reale carried the ball up to the box as Gutierres made the run ahead of her and positioned herself right in front of the goal. Reale sent along the pass for Gutierres to tap the ball in. It took 88 seconds for the brace.
Lilly Reale books it to find Amanda Gutierres to make it 3-0 for the Boston Legacy! 👏
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 13, 2026 at 3:20 PM
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The Brazilian took three shots in the 12 minutes she played and is now the team’s second-leading goalscorer with seven goals.
Spirits
Heading into the game, Patão had a few key elements that the team would need to look out for from the opponents.
“A concern that we need to have is they want to play short, but they can play long [quickly] if they need it, and they have players to solve their problems in 1v1s.”
The Spirit didn’t present too much of a challenge Sunday, and the game was mostly evenly matched.
The teams had equal possession throughout the game. Washington took three shots to Boston’s four in the first half, but neither team could get one on target.
“After the first half, we thought we were getting more opportunities and it was possible to get more, despite some of our players being tired,” Reis said postgame. “We had confidence that we could do more since we were better than Washington when we got to the goal.”
The second half was the turning point for the Legacy; the team recorded six of nine shots on target. The Spirit struggled to get through Boston and only had three of five shots on target.
Murphy’s return to goal was quiet, as she only had to make three saves during the game, all in the second half.
First Scorers
Sunday’s game marked the seventh time the Legacy opened the scoring this season, and the team has yet to lose a game when it is the first to score (5 wins, 2 draws). This was the only game where BLFC got the first goal of the game in the second half.
“We always prefer to [score] as soon as possible, and of course, the game was far from being solved after the first goal. I think Washington even had two big chances after our goal, and … the game was very open, very transitional, and in those moments, the result can change at either side,” Reis said. “We feel that when the team reaches that advantage first, they feel more motivated.”
Five of the games in which Boston scored first occurred after the June break and before the recent bout of losses. The team prides itself on its grit and ability to fight until the last minute, justifiably so, but if winning is also the main priority, the last-minute goals are not enough.
Before last week’s Utah game, the late goals were too little, too late. It's no secret that the team has struggled with consistency, and there's no telling how Boston will fare in the six remaining games.
The Legacy is 10 points from last place and 11 from playoff contention, though there are still several teams with a game in hand. Have these last two wins inspired confidence or will the team get in its own way again?
The Legacy will return to Centreville Bank Stadium for the final time this season to face the Houston Dash on Sunday, September 20 at 2 p.m.
