Boston Legacy FC set an NWSL attendance record for an inaugural game with 30,207 fans filling Gillette Stadium, but Gotham FC played spoiler by notching a 1-0 win over the expansion club Saturday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.
Esther Gonzalez broke a scoreless draw in the 55th minute when teammate Lilly Reale sent a cross on the ground into the box, and Boston defender Bianca St-Georges accidentally backheeled it to the Gotham star for an easy strike.
Gonzalez had 13 goals last year for the reigning
NWSL champion Gotham (1-0-0, 3 points).
St-Georges later earned her second yellow card in the 77th minute, forcing the Legacy (0-1-0, 0 points) to play with 10 women the rest of the way.
Casey Murphy, the U.S. women's national team veteran, made three saves in her Legacy debut, including one on Jordynn Dudley from point-blank range in the box during second-half stoppage time. Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger needed just two saves for the shutout.
The Legacy will split their inaugural season between the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium and Pawtucket, R.I., while a permanent home for them in Boston is renovated in time for 2027.
The Legacy are one of two NWSL expansion teams this season. Denver Summit FC also will make their debut Saturday when they visit Bay FC. Denver's inaugural home game March 28 against the Washington Spirit will be played at the Broncos' Empower Field at Mile High and is expected to break the league's attendance record, with more than 50,000 tickets sold.
--Field Level Media
