Athletic Club Boise held off a late AV ALTA FC surge to win 2–1 at home on Saturday, with Jesús Barea's brace proving the difference in a bad-tempered USL League One clash.

Barea opened the scoring in the 16th minute, finishing off a Tumi Moshobane assist to give Boise an early advantage. AV ALTA pushed for a response but struggled to create clear-cut chances, and the first half ended with both sides already collecting bookings — Miguel Pajaro cautioned for the visitors in the 29th minute, Dominic Gasso for the hosts in the 41st.

The second half was fractious. Yellow cards flew in quick succession around the hour mark, with Denys Kostyshyn and Moussa Ndiaye booked for Boise within a minute of each other, sandwiching cautions for Cesar Bahena Jr and Brian Kleiban on the AV ALTA side. The referee had his hands full.

Barea settled some nerves in the 74th minute, doubling Boise's lead with his second of the night. But the cushion lasted just four minutes. Adam Aoumaich pulled one back for AV ALTA in the 78th minute, and suddenly the visitors had momentum.

What followed was a chaotic finish. Five more yellow cards were shown during stoppage time alone — two to Boise players, three to AV ALTA — as tempers boiled over. The referee brandished 12 yellows in total across the 90-plus minutes, though remarkably no player saw red.

Boise held firm despite the late pressure, and the three points keep them in the hunt as the USL League One regular season enters its final stretch.