Bay FC defender Aldana Cometti dribbles past a Boston Legacy FC player on May 15, 2026 at PayPal Park in San Jose. (Photo: Bay FC)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–On Friday night, Bay FC faced off against Boston Legacy FC for the first time ever and what a first meeting as both clubs finished in a 1-1 draw. Boston had already carved out a reputation for themselves as a physical, hard to play against type of team. Bay FC needed to find a way to overcome their goalscoring struggles though, if they were going to walk away with the three points.

Bay FC got a chance early in the match, as Caroline Conti attempted to find Karlie Lema in front of the goal, but the ball bounced off of Lema and out of play in the second minute.Bay also had a pair of corner kicks in the opening minutes, but nothing came of them.

In the 18th minute, Conti generated another chance after forcing a turnover off of a Boston free kick. The ball bounced around between Lema and Rachael Kundananji, but neither was able to get a shot off before Boston’s goalkeeper Casey Murphy retrieved the ball. Bay had a couple of shots in the 25th minute, Lema shot it from point-blank range, and the rebound bounced to Dorian Bailey who was denied by Murphy as well. Amanda Gutirres hit the post in the 40th minute, nearly giving Boston a lead late in the first half.

A red card was issued to Bianca St-Georges after a dangerous challenge on Bay FC midfielder Claire Hutton. The game would head to halftime, still tied at 0-0.

Bay FC finally got on the board in the 51st minute with a goal by Dorian Bailey, who narrowly slipped the ball past Murphy and into the net.

After a VAR review, the official awarded a penalty to Boston for a foul on Jordan Silkowitz, who was visibly upset with the decision. Boston’s Amanda Gutirres stepped up to the penalty spot and put the ball past Silkowitz, who dove in the wrong direction, tying the game at a goal apiece. Cristiana Girelli and Taylor Huff entered the game for Bay FC in the 66th minute.

Annie Karich was shown a yellow card in the 77th minute for a challenge on Hannah Bebar. Tess Boade and Maddie Moreau entered the game for Bay FC in the 82nd minute, looking to give them a late burst of energy.

Bay nearly broke the deadlock in the 90th minute when they caused a scramble around the goalkeeper, but it wasn’t meant to be. Murphy made another big save for Boston in stoppage time and Bay FC failed to convert on the ensuing corner kick. Ultimately, the game would end in a 1-1 draw. Bay FC outplayed their opponent on the pitch, but giving up a key penalty came back to bite them in the long run.