If Bradley-Bourbonnais’ comeback win over Kankakee in All-City play last season was any indication, another close contest was coming up in the 2026 All-City opener Friday in Kankakee.

After Bradley-Bourbonnais senior Nia Lawrence tied things 2-2 with 18 minutes to play, Kankakee’s Jocelyn Sanchez stepped up for a penalty kick that could’ve put the Kays up and potentially given them an All-City win of their own.

But her shot sailed inches high of the crossbar and the rest of regulation passed without a goal.

Both the Boilermakers (0-2-1) and Kays (3-0-1) are alive for at least share of the All-City title, which would be the Kays’ first-ever title and the Boilermakers’ third in a row.

Lawrence’s game-tying goal was not her first big All-City moment. She scored three goals in All-City play last season, two of which were against Kankakee with one of them being a game-winner.

Now playing through her final All-City games, she said it is always fun to take part in that competitive atmosphere.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for us, and since our conference is at such a high level, it’s a good game where we can get better as a group,” Lawrence said. “We were able to get back after they scored another one on us, and it would’ve been easy for us to get down on ourselves.”

After a long scoreless stretch to start Friday’s game, Bradley-Bourbonnais drew first blood on a goal from Harper Tollefson with just 2:43 to play in the first half.

Less than a minute after play resumed, Sanchez broke free behind the Boilermaker defense and tied things up with 1:43 to go before halftime.

That goal was the 103rd of Sanchez’s career. She broke the 100-goal mark in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over Wilmington.

Just 93 seconds after halftime, it was a newer face in freshman Alina Mkhwanazi that gave Kankakee a 2-1 lead. The score remained 2-1 for 20 minutes until Lawrence’s equalizer.

Bradley-Bourbonnais has plenty of experience back in the fold this season, including its top four scorers in Tollefson, Lawrence, Aaliyah Lanum and Rylee Villegas.

Head coach Kristen Powell said the way this group approached Friday’s game is a good sign they are ready to grow from last season’s eight wins, the most for the program since 2019.

“The coaches, we all know each other and we know this is going to be a competitive game,” she said. “Our girls are ready to compete. They came into the season with a positive mentality and a great culture. We’ve got some upperclassmen that are really leading and doing a great job of taking things seriously.”

The Boilermakers will get the first shot at Bishop McNamara to complete its All-City schedule. They visit the Irish on March 31.

While Kankakee missed out on a win and a chance to control their own fate for an outright title, the senior Sanchez said she feels the team has come a long way after losing to the Boilermakers by a combined score of 13-1 in her first two seasons.

“I’m honestly very proud of us, and compared to the past few years, we’ve definitely improved a bunch,” she said. “With a bunch of new players coming in, we definitely have something to prove. I’d say this is a learning moment, and we’re really proud of ourselves.”

Kankakee head coach Vincent Mkhwanazi said he was happy to see the team continue to battle after the Boilermakers tied things up.

He is also pleased with how the team’s experienced returners like Sanchez and Regina Vazquez-Vargas have been meshing so far with the team’s newer players, including freshmen Alina Mkhwanazi, Yailen Torres and Rachel Sanchez-Aguilar.

“The girls are still adapting and adjusting to the new roles, especially with the addition of the younger players,” he said. “We’ve got three freshmen starters out there. Overall as a team, we’re still working on that identity. They’re doing a great job and we’re heading in the right direction.”

The Kays will host Bishop McNamara on April 11, a game that was rescheduled from its original date of March 21.