Bay FC midfielder Claire Hutton (8) runs up the pitch against the Seattle Reign at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Aug 1, 2026 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC looked to avenge their disappointing midweek loss against Seattle Reign FC on Saturday evening. But in the end the Reign got a winning score late in the match in the 85th minute by Jess Fishlock for a 3-2 win against Bay FC.

Seattle got out to a very early lead in the sixth minute, as a low cross found the foot of Mia Fishel right in front of the goal. Bay’s goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz was forced to make a big save moments later, as a collision between Caroline Conti and a Seattle midfielder resulted in an attacking opportunity for the Reign with minimal defense. Her work wasn’t anywhere near done, though, as less than a minute later, she was forced to make another diving save after a dangerous free kick opportunity by the Reign.

A counterattacking opportunity for Seattle saw Maddie Dahlien make it 2-0 for the visitors after a through-ball passed right between the legs of Bay FC’s captain, Sydney Collins, for an easy goal. 

Bay FC got one back in the 13th minute, when Hannah Bebar scored her first career NWSL goal to make it a 2-1 game. Less than 10 minutes later, the game would seemingly be level as Dorian Bailey was able to take advantage of a scramble in front of the goal. Her shot hit Claudia Dickey in the gloves, but ricocheted into the back of the net; for the second time this week, a Bay FC goal was disallowed for a controversial offside decision.

Jordan Silkowitz made another big save just after the half-hour mark, but for the second game in a row, she went down holding her back. She remained in the game after another slight delay.

Mia Fishel was shown the first yellow card of the night in the 47th minute, as she blocked a free-kick attempt from an improper position, delaying the game. Moments later, Dorian Bailey was shown a yellow card for a jersey-pull tackle just outside of the box. 

Seattle retained their 2-1 lead heading into the half-time break. Bay made a single substitution to start the second half, swapping Alex Pfieffer into the game for Sydney Collins. 

Caroline Conti was shown a yellow card in the 52nd minute, Bay’s second of the night. Bay then had an entertaining display of passing around the hour mark, which nearly generated a chance for Claire Hutton, but the referee was out of position, blocking the shooting lane inadvertently. Sam Meza was shown Seattle’s second yellow card in the 64th minute. 

Caroline Conti and Karlie Lema exited the match for Keira Barry and Taylor Huff in the 66th minute as Bay was hunting for an equalizer. That equalizer would come less than ten minutes later, as Barry scored her first goal with Bay FC, after a perfectly timed off-ball run up the wing to make it a 2-2 game. In the 84th minute, Bay made another pair of substitutions, bringing on veterans Abby Dahlkemper and Cristiana Girelli to close out the game. At the same time, Nerilia Mondesir was shown a yellow card for Seattle. 

In the 85th minute, Seattle restored their lead, making it 3-2 with a goal scored by Jess Fishlock, who had just entered the match moments earlier.

Seattle would hold on to their lead this time, walking away with a 3-2 victory. As a result, Bay FC failed to record a single point during their three-game week.