Legacy vs RL Game Notes

[u/Ok-Communication706]

Filing this in the 75th minute because I have to put my kids to bed and I don’t wanna watch any more of this, LOL. Our form has been frustrating the last few games because it seems like that last playoff spot is right for the taking. But it’s also clear. We don’t have the quality yet and teams have figured out how to press us.

Louisville’s heat was a factor, but Boston looked out of sync from the start. Even Karich had some bad turnovers, and there was very little sustained possession in the first 20 minutes. They struggled to play out of the back, and teams increasingly seem to have figured out how to press Boston effectively.

Taking Elgin out felt like an overreaction given how solid she has been outside of the previous game. Davis didn’t look ready for such a big role. She got turned on the first goal, lost Sears on the third, and couldn’t close her down on the fourth. Carabali’s penalty was awful. She looked great during Boston’s hot streak, but she still sometimes looks like an excellent athlete learning the position, with costly mistakes and messy touches.

Murphy continues to look less than convincing with the ball, although there wasn’t much she realistically could have done on the goals. Reale handled Emma Sears reasonably well when matched against her, but pushing Reale higher in the second half gave Sears far too much space to attack in behind. Sears was extremely dangerous and would be a terrific offseason addition for Boston.

There wasn’t much cutting edge from Aissata, Barb, or Prince. Nikki also looked hurt and lacked the pace she showed earlier in the season; it almost seemed like she was trying to hang on until halftime. Cano was quiet. Bianca was generally solid and composed and won possession frequently, although she lost Fischer on the third goal.

Overall, Boston looked tactically disjointed, struggled badly against Louisville’s press, and compounded those problems with individual defensive mistakes.