Utah Royals Earn First Win of 2026, 2-1 at Boston Legacy Despite Aïssata Traoré's First Goal in Club History

Boston Legacy FC finally got its first goal on Saturday. Unfortunately for the 10,012 fans at Gillette Stadium, the Utah Royals had already scored two.

Utah beat Boston 2-1 in Foxborough, getting a first-half finish from defender Tatumn Milazzo and a Lara Prasnikar penalty early in the second half before Aïssata Traoré scored the first goal in Legacy history in the 72nd minute. Per Utah, it was the Royals' first win of the 2026 season and the club's first-ever victory over Boston. Utah moved to 1-1-2 with 4 points. Boston fell to 0-0-3 and is still looking for its first point.

A Cagey Start and a Set-Piece Strike

The opening half hour was a feeling-out process with a lot of whistles. Boston had the early looks: Ella Stevens had a shot blocked in the seventh minute, Sammy Smith forced Mia Justus into a save from outside the box in the 10th, and Traoré dragged one just wide from outside the box in the 14th. Boston kept looking for its striker on the shoulder of the last defender.

The game got scrappy fast. Traoré was booked in the 17th minute, Stevens in the 36th, and by halftime four yellow cards had been handed out. The fouls column would finish at 25 for Boston and 15 for Utah, which tells you exactly what kind of afternoon it was.

Utah broke through in the 33rd minute, and naturally it came from a dead ball. Cloé Lacasse swung in a set piece, and Milazzo arrived at the left side of the six-yard box to steer a left-footed finish into the bottom left corner. 1-0. Per Utah, it was Milazzo's second goal of the season and the sixth of her NWSL career.

Boston nearly conceded again before the break. In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Cece Delzer met a Prasnikar cross with a header from the center of the box, and Casey Murphy reacted to make a point-blank save.

Prasnikar Doubles It

The second half started badly for the hosts. In the 49th minute, Mina Tanaka drew a foul from Annie Karich inside the box, and Prasnikar stepped up a minute later and blasted her right-footed penalty into the top left corner. 2-0. Per Utah, it was Prasnikar's second goal of the season, and the second straight week Boston had conceded from the spot.

Amanda Gutierres replaced Stevens in the 54th minute, and Boston's attack perked up with her carrying the ball through the middle behind Traoré. Boston added three more substitutes around the 70th minute, and the pressure started to build.

Traoré Makes History

In the 72nd minute, it finally happened. Gutierres slid a through ball into space, and Traoré held off a defender, burst into the area and beat Justus with a right-footed finish from the center of the box. 2-1. Per both clubs, it was the first goal in Boston's history, and the Legacy said Gutierres' pass was the club's first-ever assist.

Boston pushed for an equalizer the rest of the way. Traoré missed to the left from the center of the box in the 80th minute off a Smith cross, Karich fired high and wide from distance in the 82nd, and Josefine Hasbo had a shot blocked in the 87th. With six minutes of added time, there was time for one more moment. It never came.

The Stars

Milazzo was the difference maker in a match that was always going to be decided by details. A defender scoring the opener off a set piece is the kind of thing that wins tight road games, and per Utah, she has now scored the club's first-ever goals against both Kansas City and Boston. That is an oddly specific superpower, but a useful one.

Prasnikar, returning to the starting lineup per the club, converted the penalty that turned out to be the winner, while Tanaka, making her first start of the season, earned it. Kate Del Fava, meanwhile, made her 55th consecutive start for Utah, per the club, a streak that includes every match since the Royals returned to the league in 2024.

For Boston, Traoré was everything. She took four shots, scored the historic goal and kept the Utah back line honest all afternoon. Gutierres deserves a mention too, because the game changed when she came on.

The Turning Point

The penalty in the 49th minute decided this match. At 1-0, Boston was still very much alive, with plenty of the ball and plenty of time. Karich's foul on Tanaka handed Prasnikar the chance to double the lead, and that second goal turned out to be the one that mattered most when Traoré pulled one back 22 minutes later. Without it, Boston's late push ends in a draw and a very different story.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Boston 60.1 percent, Utah 39.9 percent.
• Shots: Boston 11, Utah 7.
• Shots on target: Utah 3, Boston 2. Utah scored on two of its three.
• Fouls: Boston 25, Utah 15, with four yellow cards apiece.
• Clearances: Utah 33, Boston 23. The Royals did a lot of defending to protect the lead.

What It Means

Utah opened the season with two straight 2-1 losses, to the Kansas City Current and San Diego Wave FC, before a 1-1 draw at the Washington Spirit on Wednesday. Per the club, the win in Foxborough made it four points from an East Coast road trip and extended the Royals' road unbeaten streak to two matches. Utah returns home to host Chicago Stars FC next.

Boston has now lost the first three matches of its debut season, 1-0 to Gotham FC at home and 3-0 at the Houston Dash before this one. The goal drought is over, which counts for something. The Legacy host San Diego Wave FC next and need to turn a historic moment into actual points.

Closing Take

Boston's first goal will be the highlight that gets replayed for years, and Traoré earned every frame of it. But this match belonged to Utah, which ran a game plan simple enough to fit on a sticky note: score off a set piece, win a penalty, survive the late rush. No clean sheet, no style points, just a first win and a whole lot less pressure heading into April.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes as reported by Utah Royals FC and Boston Legacy FC; neither club's recap included postgame quotes.