After monthlong break, Boston Legacy FC battles back to earn a draw with Bay FC

Sport admin July 5, 2026 0 Comments

After monthlong break, Boston Legacy FC battles back to earn a draw with Bay FC

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Boston Legacy FC returned from a monthlong break looking scattered and rusty in the early going, conceding two goals in the first 20 minutes of Sunday’s match against Bay FC.

The Legacy had been off since May 30 as the NWSL took a break to accommodate the men’s World Cup, and the time off was evident as they struggled to find a rhythm early in their return to play.

But Boston gained its footing late in the first half, and the Legacy pulled even on Aïssata Traoré’s second-half penalty to earn a 2-2 draw in front of an announced crowd of 8,014 at Rhode Island’s Centreville Bank Stadium on Sunday.

After Bay took an early two-goal lead, the Legacy settled in and began to find their attack, and they got one back in first-half stoppage time. When they returned to the field after halftime, the Legacy looked confident on the ball and controlled the pace of play.

Trailing 2-0 in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Nichelle Prince served a ball into the box, and Amanda Guttieres headed it into the back of the net for her third NWSL goal. It was the Brazilian striker’s first goal in the run of play after scoring on two penalty kicks earlier this season.

Boston entered the match with a league-leading 174 fouls committed and 27 cards (two red, 25 yellow), and the Legacy added to that total in the first few minutes of the game, resulting in the early deficit.

Goalkeeper Casey Murphy received a yellow card in the fifth minute for a tackle on Alex Pfeiffer after a defensive error led to a loose ball in the box. Claire Hutton took the penalty kick and converted to give Bay a 1-0 lead.

Jorelyn Carabali also received a yellow card in the eighth minute.

Defender Lilly Reale made her first start for her hometown team since Boston acquired the Hingham native from Gotham FC on June 17.

The Legacy sent $350,000 in allocation money and $50,000 in intraleague transfer fee funds to Gotham FC for Reale, the 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year. She joined the Legacy on a four-year deal that runs through December 2029.

Adding Reale to the lineup gives the Legacy a bit more flexibility on the left side, an area where they’ve suffered three injuries already this season. (Of those injured, only Brazilian defender Kaká remains out).

Reale has had two weeks of uninterrupted training with the Legacy to get used to her new team, but she still showed signs of growing pains on Sunday.

Known as a vocal communicator on the field, Reale was visibly frustrated at times when her teammates didn’t make the runs she expected them to, and Bay’s second goal was a direct result of Reale holding a Bay forward onside.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 17th minute on a ball in behind to Karlie Lema, who broke through Reale and Boston’s back line and had a 1-on-1 with Murphy. Lema slotted her first touch inside the near post to give Bay a 2-0 lead.

In their previous meeting, these teams played to a 1-1 draw on May 15 at PayPal Park despite Boston playing with 10 players for more than half the contest. Defender Bianca St-Georges was handed a red card and a three-game suspension for a tackle in the 42nd minute of that match, and Sunday’s game was the final game of her suspension.

Prior to Sunday, the Legacy hadn’t played since May 30, a 1-0 loss to Kansas City. Boston lost two straight entering Sunday’s contest, dating back to a 2-1 loss to Seattle on May 22 — the Legacy’s first game at Centreville Bank Stadium.

Boston will return to Pawtucket Friday at 8 p.m. to host Chicago.