by Boston Legacy FC
is off and running in its effort to build a roster ahead of the 2026 debut season in the NWSL, with two more signings being announced on Wednesday.
The club revealed that defenders Emerson Elgin and Laurel Ansbrow have been signed to deals through the 2027 season (Ansbrow also has a team option for the 2028 season).
Elgin, 22, plays primarily as a left back. She helped the University of North Carolina win the 2024 national championship, capping a four-year run with the Tarheels. She also spent time with the North Carolina Courage’s U23 team and Gotham FC (in a short term deal earlier in 2025).
“Emerson gives us an attacking threat from the left back,” Legacy general manager Domènec Guasch said via the team
announcement
. “Her offensive mentality fits exactly what we want from our outside backs, and she comes from a winning environment at UNC that has shaped her into a competitor.”
Ansbrow, also 22, is a center back. Like Elgin, she has experience playing with the Courage’s U23 team (in 2023), and faced off against her new teammate in the 2024 national championship (as a player for Wake Forest). She played for USLSL club Ft. Lauderdale United earlier in 2025.
“Laurel brings a real defensive intensity to our back line,” said Guasch. “She’s also confident on the ball, which fits perfectly with how we want to build from the back.”
Prior to the start of Legacy FC preseason in early 2026, both players will head out on loans for the remainder of the current season. Elgin will go to the USL Super League side Tampa Bay Sun, while Ansbrow will head back to Ft. Lauderdale United.
This brings the team’s number of player signings up to four, with midfielder
Annie Karich
and forward
Aïssata Traoré
already on the roster.
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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