FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Prisca Chilufya scored her first brace for Angel City, snapping a six-game winless streak with a 5-2 win over Boston Legacy FC at Gillette Stadium on Monday night.
Angel City (8-5-8, 29 pts.) traveled to Massachusetts for its first-ever match against Boston Legacy (5-5-12, 20 pts.), an expansion side in its inaugural season. In the first 18 minutes of the night, four goals were recorded, sending supporters from both sides into a frenzy of cheers.
Ally Sentnor's opening goal in the fifth minute set the tone for Angel City's attack throughout the rest of the half. The Massachusetts native sent a left-footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner, with an assist by Evelyn Shores following a corner.`
Boston Legacy's Sammy Smith responded shortly in the eighth minute to even the score after receiving an assist from Nichelle Prince , sending a shot out of reach for goalkeeper Angelina Anderson and into the back of the net.
Not to be outdone, Chilufya doubled ACFC's score with a goal that, after a slight deflection, sailed past Boston keeper Laurel Ivory in the 14th minute.
Sveindís Jónsdóttir added Los Angeles' third goal from a tight angle that went through Ivory's legs in the 18th minute, keeping the momentum going for the visitors. It marked Jónsdóttir's seventh goal and makes her the team's leading scorer of the season.
"She's [Sveindís] a goal scorer, and all teams need that. She proved that. It's good to get people back. It's good to get people back. This season we've had a lot of injuries, and they've cost us. So it's good, but I think several players took a step up today," said interim head coach Leif Gunnar Smerud.
Heading into the locker room at the half, Angel City had four of ten total shots on target and earned five corners compared to Boston's two shots and zero corners.
The visitors entered the second half up by two and decided to add two more to end the night.
Chilufya earned her first brace in the NWSL by getting free behind Legacy's defense with a shot from a difficult angle in the 58th minute. The Zambian national now has four goals with ACFC this season.
Eight minutes later, Maiara Niehues got on the scoresheet shortly after getting subbed on, making it 5-1. Traoré scored in the 87th minute during a scramble in front of the net for a loose ball.
With only nine games remaining in the regular season, Angel City sits ninth on the league table, one spot below the cutoff for the playoffs. In the five seasons since its debut as an expansion side in 2022, ACFC has reached the playoffs only once. The team has not qualified for the playoffs since 2023.
Monday night was a much-needed result for the Los Angeles side. The action-packed victory is the club's first win since July 18th and rounds out the road game stretch for August.
"This win was about our togetherness and sticking to the game plan. We spoke about it a lot, and I'm happy with how that showed on the pitch," said Chilufya. "It's what we trained for this whole week. So this was a great showing, and that's what we need going forward."
The team's outstanding performance paints a very different picture than the state of the club this time last season. There's a clearer attack and more control on the pitch this time around.
Players including Chilufya and Sentnor became instrumental in the club's attack throughout the season.
"I'm trying to convince her [Prisca] to understand how good she is and can be. She is very difficult to play against; she has tremendous power, and she works so hard for the team. She has a big heart, and she sacrificed a lot ot be here. To see her succeed, I think, for everyone on the team and in the club, is really nice," said Leif.
Sentnor joined ACFC in June via a trade with the Kansas City Current in exchange for $850,000 in intraleague transfer funds. The 22-year-old was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft to the Utah Royals and has recorded eight goals during regular season play throughout her professional career.
"With Ally there is no doubt. She is and will be a very, very good player, and she will score goals, and she will create, and she's very important today in our play. The way she moves, the way she finds positions, the way she deals with the ball... I'm sure we're only adding fire in her, and she's more than ready to take the next step," said Leif.
The main objective for the club is to maintain momentum in the final stretch of the season-something that has historically been a challenge.
"We want to build on our development. We've been developing well the last games, despite the North Carolina loss and the draws before that; I think they were great performances. This gives us a boost and a lot of energy and belief, so I think the game against Louisville last time is enough motivation for us," added Leif.
Angel City will continue its travel in Kentucky to face Racing Louisville FC (7-2-13, 23 pts.) on Saturday, September 5 at 3:30 PM PT at Lynn Family Stadium.
