‘Incredibly happy’: After lightning delay, AC Boise strikes to win inaugural game
Pro soccer fans in the Treasure Valley waited a long time to have their own team to cheer.
When Athletic Club Boise’s first-ever game was delayed by lightning and thunderstorms on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Saturday evening, they had to wait a little longer.
In the end, it was worth it. AC Boise won its inaugural match against Florida’s Sarasota Paradise with high-pressure play and a strong goal late in the second half, scoring a 1-0 victory in front of about 3,000 people at Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch.
The attendance figure broke a club record for the Paradise, and part of that came from a sizable AC Boise section of fans who chanted and cheered throughout the game.
The long-awaited opener was supposed to begin at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time, but it finally kicked at 7:10 Boise time — after 9 in Florida — leaving both clubs running on a wet pitch and dealing with lightning-fast passes to start the 2026 USL League One season.
Denys Kostyshyn, attacking midfielder with AC Boise, scored the first goal in club history in the game’s 74th minute, with a one-touch finish off a cross from Eagle native Blake Bodily.
“We’re incredibly happy,” said Charlie Adams, AC Boise midfielder. “The one thing that we pride ourselves on is the hard work, the commitment of every single person, whether it’s the front office or the players. (The win) was just a compilation of how we’ve done in the preseason.”
The entire AC Boise team ran to its fan section after the final whistle, creating an adrenaline-filled celebration.
A consistently strong game from defensive midfielder Philip Mayaka, who cleared multiple shot opportunities from Sarasota out of Boise’s 6-yard area, helped that one goal hold up in the shutout win.
Kostyshyn, who made his professional debut in the Ukrainian Premier League in 2017, also played in the USL Championship League with the El Paso Locomotive FC. On Saturday, he showed quick reflexes to get the only goal of the match and was a factor in Boise’s attack.
Thirty-two minutes into the game, Sarasota scored when Paradise’s Jørgen Pettersen headed in a free-kick cross from near the corner flag. The Florida fans erupted before realizing the play had been called offsides, disallowing the goal.
This near-miss only intensified AC Boise’s play, as it maintained a strong defensive line and used accurate, quick passes to switch the field and go on the attack throughout the night.
Despite not having more on-goal opportunities than the Paradise in the second half, AC Boise played with determination and showed impressive chemistry for a brand-new franchise, according to its opponent.
Sarasota also was making its USL League One debut Saturday night, but it won the South Florida Division title in USL League Two last year and advanced to the conference semifinals.
“They were a good team. Honestly, Boise is a very good team,” said Jørgen Pettersen, a Paradise midfielder. “They play good football, moved the ball well.
“It’s good for us to play against good teams early on. That’s how we get better.”
Mayaka, who the USL League One called a “newcomer to watch,” was originally scouted in his home country of Kenya, and went No. 3 in the MLS Draft in 2021.
After a short stint with the Colorado Rapids, Mayaka played in the MLS NEXT Pro league with the Huntsville City FC last season. In Saturday’s game, he didn’t just star defensively, but created offense with precise passing and timely interceptions.
There were two yellow cards handed out by the referee, one to Sarasota and one to AC Boise’s Tumi Moshobane 34 minutes into the game.
AC Boise has one more road game, at Union Omaha on Sunday, March 22, before its home opener on Saturday, April 4, at the Expo Idaho stadium in Garden City.
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 1:06 AM.