Category: Bay FC

Bay FC-Portland match wrap: Bay FC’s Malonson scores matches only goal in 1-0 win over Portland

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Bay FC celebrates Alyssa Malonson’s goal at the 39th minute against the Portland Thorns at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Jun 7, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC returned home to PayPal Park on Saturday, as they hosted the Portland Thorns during a matinee game. Considering the two teams were fighting for positioning at the end of the 2024 season and aren’t far apart so far this season, this was a matchup that could end up having major playoff implications late in the season. It was almost like a playoff match with Bay getting a narrow victory 1-0 at Pay Pal Park in San Jose.

Bay Starting XI: Silkowitz, Malonson, Brewster, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Bebar, Conti, Huff, Oshoala, Hocking, Hill

Thorns Starting XI: Bixby, Reyes, Perry, Hiatt, Torpey, Coffey, Sugita, Moultrie, Alidou, Hanks, Linnehan

Asisat Oshoala nearly got Bay on the board in the 9th minute when Jayden Perry slipped on the ball, creating an opportunity in transition. Oshoala’s shot hit the goalpost, though, and it remained 0-0. Up to that point in the match, Bay’s pressing in particular seemed to be giving them an upper hand. Even when they turned the ball over, they were fighting hard to win it back. Payton Linnehan received some medical attention in the 12th minute after going down while holding her leg, but she remained in the match.

After the stoppage, momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Thorns. Jordan Silkowitz made her first difficult save of the night in the 21st minute, denying Portland from point-blank range. In the 23rd minute, Jordan Brewster went down and got attention from the trainer before leaving the game with a lower leg injury in the 26th minute. Kelli Hubly took her place.

Oshoala got another opportunity in the 29th minute, but her shot went just wide of the goal. In the 30th minute, Portland had a header opportunity off of a corner kick, but it went just over the bar. Silkowitz blocked another one-on-one in the 32nd minute, denying Olivia Moultrie whose pressing forced a turnover in the Bay FC backline.

Oshoala was shown a yellow card for a collision with Perry in the 33rd minute. Turnovers in the defensive third quickly became a theme for Bay FC late in the first half, as they were holding onto the ball too long or misplacing passes that allowed the Thorns to quickly regain possession and launch another attack.

Alyssa Malonson opened the scoring in the 39th minute, when her overlap left her plenty of open space inside of the box. A difficult, but perfectly placed shot left Bella Bixby no chance to save it. Once again, Silkowitz made a dazzling save in the 43rd minute to maintain the home side’s 1-0 lead, which Bay FC would carry into halftime.

The second half would start with momentum seemingly back in Bay FC’s corner, but overall, it was a lot of back-and-forth action early in the half with neither team really taking advantage. Bixby made an easy save 67th minute, after the ball deflected off of a defender in front of the goal. Bay FC made some wholesale changes in the 71st minute with Racheal Kundananji, Dorian Bailey and Kiki Pickett entering the match for Taylor Huff, Asisat Oshoala, and Hannah Bebar.

Kundananji tried to make an instant impact, going one-on-one with a centerback in the 74th minute, however, her shot went just wide. With Kundananji in the game, it seemed as if Bay FC were trying to take advantage of the worn-down defense and were taking a route-one style approach of lumping it down the field.

It was generating chances due to her speed, but they weren’t converting on those opportunities. Penelope Hocking came off for Tess Boade in the 78th minute. Pickett was shown a yellow card in the 80th minute. Caiya Hanks came out of the game due to the incident, leaving Portland with ten players for the time being.

In the 84th minute, Alexa Spaanstra took Hanks’ place for Portland. In the 95th minute, it seemed as if Rachel Hill had extended Bay FC’s lead to 2-0; however, the play was deemed a handball. Portland went down the other way and nearly converted a chance in the 98th minute, but it went just wide and the final whistle blew moments later. Bay FC walked away victorious, with a 1-0 win at home.

Bay FC game wrap: Hocking and Conti lead the way in Bay FC win over Angel City 2-0 at Pay Pal

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Bay FC’s Penelope Hocking who scored the first goal of the night at the 22nd minute against Angel City on Sat May 17, 2025 at Pay Pal Park in San Jose (Bay Area News Group photo)

By William Espy

On Saturday night, Bay FC entered their match against Angel City in desperate need of a win. Entering the game, Bay had lost two in a row and had gone three matches without a win. As a result, they found themselves sitting well outside of a playoff spot early in the season. They got the win they came for with a 2-0 shutout over Angel City.

Angel City on the other hand was hoping to climb their way up the standings, three points would put them near the top of the table while a loss would keep them near the bottom of the playoff places.

Penelope Hocking opened the scoring on the night when a slow-moving through ball found its way to her inside of the box in the 22nd minute. She was able to put it away, and make it 1-0 for the home side early into the match.

It wouldn’t take long for Bay to double that lead either. Three minutes later, a foul inside of the box led to the referee pointing to the spot. Caroline Conti, who has become Albertin Montoya’s specialist for penalty kicks, stepped up and beat the Angel City goalkeeper in the 28th minute, making it 2-0 for the home team.

That would be all of the offense for the night, as Bay FC would ultimately walk away with a 2-0 victory over their state rivals.

On paper, Angel City dominated over the course of the match. They had 56% of possession, they fired shots off consistently and were creating set pieces for themselves. Jordan Silkowitz stood tall in Bay FC’s net though, as she made four saves over the course of the night and maintained the clean sheet through the final whistle. The defense in front of her did a great job limiting the amount of high quality chances as well, even though Angel City had 17 shots, only four of them presented any danger for Bay FC.

Bay FC’s set to head back on the road for their next match, as they’ll face the Houston Dash in Houston in a game that could have long-term implications. Both teams are hovering around that eighth spot in the standings and although playoffs are still far away, every point will matter at the end of the season.

Bay FC match wrap up: Seattle comes back to tie match with Bay FC 1-1

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Bay FC’s Racheal Kundananji (9) celebrates scoring a goal against Seattle Reign FC in the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the Seattle Reign on Saturday night in a contest between two teams fighting for seventh in the standings.

Early in the match, Bay FC was sustaining heavy offensive pressure and getting the ball toward Seattle’s net on a fairly regular basis. In the 18th minute, Maddie Dahlien of the Reign was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Kiki Pickett in the midfield.

13 minutes later, Rachael Kundananji finally got on the scoresheet with her first goal of the season for Bay FC, giving them a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Jordan Silkowitz was critical for Bay FC staying in the game, as she made some incredible saves including a 1-on-1 opportunity in the first half. Over the course of the night, the 25-year-old goalkeeper made a season-high four saves.

Bay would carry their 1-0 lead into halftime, and after 45 minutes, the momentum seemed heavily in their favor. Things would change quickly in the second half though, as Jordyn Huitema would score in the 49th minute, making it 1-1.

From there, momentum slowly started to shift in favor of Seattle. As the game progressed, they maintained more possession in their attacking third of the pitch, putting pressure on the Bay FC defense.

Despite more pressure, the chances the Reign generated weren’t as high quality as the ones they had in the first half. It would take until the 69th minute for Albertin Montoya to make some changes for Bay, bringing in Asisat Oshoala and Rachel Hill for Karlie Lema and Caroline Conti.

After the substations, momentum seemed to even out for both sides. Bay FC had a few opportunities that nearly led to a second goal, however they were unable to convert.

After 90 minutes, the score remained 1-1 and the two evenly-matched sides would walk away with a single point each. Bay FC will head on the road for their next two games, visiting the San Diego Wave and Kansas City Current over the next two weeks before returning home on May 17 to face Angel City.

Bay FC game wrap: Chicago’s Ludmila scores twice enough to defeat Bay FC 2-1 at Pay Pal Park

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With clenched fists midfielder Caroline Conti (15) celebrates her goal at the 58th minute as Bay FC avoids getting shutout by the Chicago Stars FC at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun Apr 13, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy /Sports Radio Service staff writer

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the newly rebranded Chicago Stars FC on Sunday evening in the two teams’ first matchup of the season. Bay FC was looking to avenge a loss to the Washington Spirit while Chicago was hoping to get their first win of the season. The Stars Ludmila scored twice in the fifth minute and in the 41st minute enough to defeat Bay FC 2-1 at Pay Pal Park.

Chicago seemed to get an early lead in the fifth minute when the ball got past Jordan Silkowitz and into the back of the net, but the assistant referee’s flag was up and the play was offside. After a momentary delay, the referee was called over for a review and the call was changed once again though. Chicago was awarded the goal, and Ludmila got her first goal of the season.

Abby Dahlkemper saved a goal in the 18th minute, as Silkowitz charged out at the ball carrier. The shot went past Bay’s goalkeeper but went right to Dahlkemper. Chicago would get a second goal during the first half though, as Ludmila made it a brace in the 41st minute.

Chicago would carry that lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, the first yellow card of the night was shown to Camryn Biegalski for a foul on Rachael Kundananji.

Bay FC would get on the board in the 58th minute, when Caroline Conti would score on a penalty, which was the result of a handball inside of the box by Chicago.

Penelope Hocking had a chance for an equalizer in the 92nd minute, but the shot sailed over the goal for a goal kick. A similar result happened when she got an opportunity in the 96th minute.

Chicago would end up picking up their first win, and points, of the season as Bay FC were unable to find an equalizer late in the match. Their 2-1 loss is also Bay’s first loss of the season at PayPal Park as they drop to 1-2-1 on the season.

NSWL action: Anderson and Lema score big for Bay FC in 2-0 shutout over Louisville

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Thrill of victory as Bay FC wins their home opener against Racing Louisville at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Mar 22, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted their home opener against Racing Louisville on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd at PayPal Park. The Bay Area’s newest soccer team was looking to build on their performance from their inaugural season, when they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round following an own goal in extra time. Bay impressed big in their home opener match against the Racing with a 2-0 shutout.

Bay FC Starting XI: Silkowitz, Malonson, Dahlkemper, Anderson, Dydasco, Huff, Pickett, Bailey, Kundananji, Conti, Lema

Louisville Starting XI: Lund, Millet, Wright, Hase, Petersen, DeMelo, Borges, Sonis, Flint, Fischer, Sears

Kiki Pickett was shown a yellow card in just the second minute of the match. On the ensuing attack, Louisville had a solid scoring chance but it went just over the crossbar and landed on top of the net. Rachael Kundananji was taken down in a collision at midfield, but after a momentary delay got up and remained in the game.

Moments later, Bay FC got the first corner opportunity of the night, which Taylor Huff took. While nothing came of that chance, that wouldn’t be the case in the 12th minute when Huff stood over the ball for a free kick, the ball found its way to newly converted center back Joelle Anderson, who put the ball past Katie Lund into the back of the netting for a 1-0 Bay lead.

Kayla Fischer had Louisville’s strongest scoring chance to that point of the night in the 26th minute, but once again the shot went too high. In the 34th minute, Dorian Bailey tried to pick a corner on an ambitious shot that nearly went in but was just too high.

There was a long delay a few moments later, as Savannah DeMelo went down and had to be stretchered off the field. She was responsive and shook her teammates’ hands as she exited the field.

Bailey was shown a yellow card in the 45th minute. Late in stoppage time, Karlie Lema and Kundananji found themselves with only a single defender between them and the goal. Despite the easy play of getting the ball up to Kundananji, Lema showed outstanding levels of confidence for a rookie, firing off a rocket of a shot and extending Bay FC’s lead to 2-0. Not long later, Huff and Ary Borges collided, resulting in Huff being shown a yellow card.

At half-time, Bay led 2-0. Head coach Albertin Montoya opted not to make any changes heading into the second half, despite his team having three yellow cards already. Louisville waited until the 61st minute to make any changes, taking off Borges and Janine Sonis for Katie O’Kane and Sarah Weber. In the 63rd minute, Huff and Taylor Flint’s heads collided. Huff was fine, however Flint did get looked at by the trainer before remaining in the game.

Hannah Bebar came in during the 74th minute, making her NWSL debut, alongside Penelope Hocking, taking the place of Caroline Conti and Bailey. In the 90th minute, Huff nearly scored her first career goal as well, hitting the post.

Ultimately time would expire, and Bay FC would walk away with their first win of the season, 2-0.

Bay FC eliminated in first ever playoff game 2-1 by Washington

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Bay FC defender Abby Dahlkemper (13) takes the ball down field against the Washington Spirit’s forward Trinity Rodman (2) at Audi Field in Washington DC on Sun Nov 10, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC played their first-ever playoff game on Sunday morning against the Washington Spirit in the Nation’s capital at Audi Field. As the underdogs, Bay FC had the freedom to go out and play their own game with little pressure on them. Meanwhile, as the second seed there was an abundance of pressure on the Spirit in front of their home crowd. With that being said though, it was win or go home for both teams.

Bay FC couldn’t win big so they had to take their marbles and head back to San Jose after getting edged by the Washington Spirit 2-1.

Bay FC did have quite a few ties to the Spirit as well. Albertin Montoya was previously interim head coach in Washington, and midfielder Dorian Bailey won her only NWSL Championship to date with them in 2021.

The game started with both teams getting chances, but Washington controlled possession. As the Kansas City Current’s victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday proved though, possession doesn’t guarantee a win.

Casey Krueger blocked a shot from Rachael Kundananji in the 13th minute that otherwise would’ve tested Aubrey Kingsbury. A foul by Makenna Morris on Alyssa Malonson in the 21st minute led to a dangerous free-kick. The set-piece resulted in a scramble in front of the goal, but ultimately Washington was able to clear their defensive third.

Less than two minutes later Ashley Hatch was fouled by Kiki Pickett and got the Spirit a dangerous set-piece roughly 25 yards from goal. It was a call that Bay FC certainly wasn’t happy about, but it did not matter.

The shot hit the wall in front, bouncing to Trinity Rodman whose shot was saved by Katelyn Rowland. Caprice Dydasco blocked another Rodman shot moments later after a pass by Bailey missed Abby Dahlkemper and launched a Spirit attack.

Malonson intercepted quite a few of Washington’s passes and turned them into scoring chances early in the first half, doing exactly that in the 29th minute. Defense was key for both sides in the first half-hour of play. Each team had been pinned in their defensive third for long periods of time, but had yet to concede a goal.

Tess Boade was fouled in the 34th minute, and the free-kick led to a Rachel Hill shot that forced Kingsbury to tip it over the bar. In the 37th, Morris had a chance but ended up running the ball out of play. Rachael Kundananji accidentally hit herself in the face with the ball in the 38th, ending a dangerous attack for Washington as play was called due to a head injury. She got up and remained in the game after a momentary delay.

There weren’t many stoppages during the first half, so only a single minute of stoppage time was added to the end of the half. The majority of that minute was spent with the Spirit controlling play in their offensive third, but near the end Bay FC launched a counterattack that ended in a controversial foul on Asisat Oshoala. The game went into the break tied 0-0.

Courtney Brown came out for Leicy Santos to start the second half for Washington. Hal Hershfelt got a yellow card right after the start of the half when her cleat hit the ankle of Kundananji. A collision between Trinity Rodman and Oshoala caused Rodman to go down in difficulty as Oshoala had landed on her head.

Meanwhile, Oshoala was shown a yellow card as well. Rodman was evaluated but ended up remaining in the game. Rodman drew another foul that resulted in a yellow card in the 59th minute when she was taken down by Malonson.

Hershfelt fired a shot that sailed well over the goal in the 72nd minute. Penelope Hocking entered the game for Hill in the 73rd minute. Moments later, Emily Menges gave the ball away to Santos which allowed the Spirit to earn a corner. Heather Stainbrook came out for Kate Weisner in the 79th minute.

Oshoala gave her team a late lead in the 82nd minute, making it 1-0 off of the assist by Hocking. Washington tied it up in the 86th minute, with a goal by Tara McKeown. The Spirit maintained quite a bit of pressure during stoppage time, with Hal Hershfelt having the best chance in the 99th minute when she hit the crossbar.

In extra time, Washington took the lead off of a Caprice Dydasco own goal in the 95th minute. Pickett was shown a yellow card for pulling down Rodman by the arm in the 99th minute. Bailey came off in the 101st minute, with Deyna Castellanos entering the match.

A strong attack by the Spirit in the 104th minute nearly gave them a 3-1 lead, but nobody was able to get on the end of the cross and it remained 2-1 in favor of the home side. Maddie Moreau entered the game for Bay FC, taking Dydasco’s place, in the second half of extra time.

Bay FC would be unable to find an equalizer, and Dydasco’s own goal would end up being enough for Washington to advance with a final score of 2-1. Despite the result, Bay FC had a massively successful inaugural season and will look to build on it in the spring.

Bay FC headed to NWSL Playoffs; Big 3-2 win against Houston clinches it

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Racheal Kundananji of Bay FC scores the first of two goals this one at 21st minute against the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Sat Nov 2, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC had a crucial game on their final night of the season. It was do or die, as a single point against the Houston Dash would send the expansion side into the playoffs. A loss on the other hand, would put Bay’s fate in the hands of Racing Louisville. Saturday’s game was delayed due to inclement weather, and the game started with a wet pitch.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Malonson, Menges, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Pickett, Bailey, Blade, Kundananji, Oshoala, Hill

Houston Starting XI: Hinz, Chapman, Jacobs, Nielsen, Schmidt, Yuki, Olivieri, Punigam, Gareis, Patterson, Harris

The Dash were without their starting goalkeeper, Jane Campbell, who was injured during international duty. As a result, Heather Hinz made her first career regular season start. The ball was able to beat Hinz in the 10th off of a set piece.

Paige Nielsen deflected the free kick past her goalkeeper, making it 1-0 early on for the visiting side. Bay FC had been 8-3-1 entering the night when they scored first, meaning a playoff berth seemed heavily in their favor. It didn’t take long for Houston to tie it up, as Barbara Olivieri extended her goal streak to three games in the 13th minute.

Shortly after Rachael Kundananji hit the inside of the goal post, she scored off of a corner. She shot it off of a volley in the 21st minute and Hinz had no chance of getting in front of it. While it would’ve been easy to deflate after giving up an equalizer so quickly, Bay FC bounced back and restored their lead.

A majority of Houston’s offense was going through Olivieri, which certainly a logical approach considering her recent form. Kundananji hit the crossbar late in the half, nearly extending Bay’s lead. Tess Boade had a shot blocked by Jyllissa Harris in the 45th minute.

Had the shot gotten through, it seemed like it was heading for the netting. Nielsen’s rough night continued, when she was shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Dorian Bailey. Bay FC maintained their 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

Bay FC made a couple of substitutions heading into the second half. Savy King and Penelope Hocking started the half in place of Alyssa Malonson and Asisat Oshoala.

Houston didn’t trail for long in the half, Avery Patterson beat Katelyn Rowland in the 46th minute, making it 2-2. While all Bay FC needed was a draw to guarantee a playoff spot, conceding that early in the half is dangerous considering the home team now had an entire half to get the lead.

Kundananji wouldn’t wait long to restore the lead, as she weaved through the defense in the 54th minute before beating Hinz to make it 3-2. Momentum was firmly in favor of Bay FC following the goal, as they immediately launched another attack.

Bailey forced Hinz to make a save early in the 57th minute. Kundananji went down after getting kicked in the face while making a late slide tackle, she was also shown a yellow card for the play. In the 63rd minute, Houston got the ball right in front of the goal but Caprice Dydasco was able to clear it out to save the lead.

Kundananji returned to the game after getting some attention on the sideline. She set up Hocking with a great opportunity in front of goal, but her first shot was saved and she ran out of space on the rebound. Momentum slowly started to head towards the Dash, as they had a few attacks of their own as the half progressed. In the 85th minute, King was taken out for Maddie Moreau. Kundananji hit the crossbar once again in the 86th.

Bay FC carried their 3-2 lead into stoppage time. All they needed to do to make the playoffs was not concede two goals in the final seven minutes of added time. Moreau had an important block in the 93rd minute.

Kundananji fired another shot in the 94th minute that forced Hinz to make another save. Caroline Conti came in for Kundananji late in stoppage time. Unfortunately, moments after coming into the game she took a ball to the side of the head and had to get attention from the training staff.

Ultimately, Bay FC held on to win 3-2. As a result, they became the second expansion side to earn a playoff berth, as the San Diego Wave did it previously.

Dalhkemper’s goal at 83rd minute gets Bay FC 1-0 win over North Carolina

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Bay FC’s Abby Dalhkemper’s kick at the 83rd minute is the match’s only goal which stood up defeating the North Carolina Courage in NWSL action on Sat Oct 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC played their final home game of their inaugural season on Saturday night, when they hosted the North Carolina Courage in a game with massive playoff implications for the home side. With Racing Louisville defeating the Portland Thorns with a last-minute goal, playoffs went from looking likely for Bay FC to them being in the middle of an intense fight.

As a result, Saturday’s game was a must win for the home team. Bay FC got the wining and only goal of the match when Abby Dahlkemper scored at the 83rd minute that defeated North Carolina 1-0.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Dahlkemper, Menges, Malonson, Pickett, Bailey, Hocking, Oshoala, Boade, Kundananji Courage Starting XI: Murphy, Williams, Kurtz, Sanchez, Berkely, Weatherholt, Jackson, O’Sullivan, Matsukobo, Wingate

Bay FC came out fighting right out of the gate. Considering their current predicament with the playoffs, this needed to be one of their strongest performances of the season and it seemed like they were up for the task early in the night.

Due to their desperation though, they were making some big mistakes as well. Costly turnovers in the defensive and middle thirds were giving possession back to their opposition and occasionally helping them create attacks of their own.

Katelyn Rowland had to make her first save of the night in the 15th minute, denying a long shot that nearly gave the Courage a 1-0 lead. Off of the ensuing corner, North Carolina hit the crossbar off of a header again nearly taking the lead.

Heading into the 18th minute, Bay launched a massive attack that led to multiple opportunities inside of the box but strong defending by the opposition eventually knocked it out for a corner kick. Ultimately, North Carolina would regain possession and get the ball out of the dangerous areas.

Despite Bay’s early attacks, they still struggled in the same way they have for a majority of the season: they couldn’t find the back of the net. They were generating quite a few chances, and nearly took the lead multiple times but weren’t able to.

In the 34th minute, Rowland gave the ball to an attacker right outside of the box but luckily for Bay FC, Abby Dahlkemper and Emily Menges were able to recover defensively and disrupt the play. Olivia Wingate had a scoring opportunity in the 39th minute for North Carolina but ended up putting the ball in the side-netting next to a diving Rowland.

Both Kerolin and Asisat Oshoala got a talking-to from referee Elijio Arreguin after an altercation along the sideline, but neither was shown a card. Oshoala was denied on a fantastic scoring opportunity in the 43rd minute, as Casey Murphy had to stretch out her body fully to get a hand on the shot and send it out for a corner.

Moments later, Tess Boade was taken down inside the box but no penalty was awarded to the dismay of the crowd at PayPal Park. After a single minute of stoppage time, the game would head to halftime tied 0-0.

Kiki Pickett would be shown the first yellow card of the game in the 61st minute which drew protest from both Boade and Oshoala. Oshoala was taken off for Rachel Hill in the 66th minute. Niarumi Miura and Meredith Speck were brought on in the 67th minute for North Carolina replacing Ashley Sanchez and Riley Jackson.

Boade created a strong scoring chance in the 72nd minute, but rather than shooting passed it to Kundananji. It resulted in a scramble, ultimately falling to Hill who shot it wide. Alyssa Malonson, who was recently named to the US Women’s National Team camp, got a header on target in the 75th minute but it was saved by Murphy.

Bay FC got a very dangerous free-kick in the 77th minute, but it was cleared out by the Courage who immediately went on a counter-attack with only two defenders back. Bay FC was able to take away space from the attackers and force the ball out for a goal-kick.

Even though a draw would keep Bay above Racing Louisville in the standings, they were desperately fighting to take the lead and walk away with the three points, rather than one. In the 82nd minute, Bay FC got another free-kick.

This one ended up on the boot of Dahlkemper who put it past Murphy, giving the home side a late 1-0 lead at the 83rd minute. In the 87th minute, Ryan Williams and Kundananji collided heads, leaving Bay FC’s striker on the ground in considerable discomfort.

She got up and walked off a few moments later, remaining in the game. Maddie Moreau came on in the 90th minute for Pickett, who high-fived fans as she walked off the pitch. With six minutes of stoppage time, Bay FC just needed to hold on a little longer to walk away with three points and put themselves in control of their own destiny in their final game in two weeks. Rowland made a save in the 95th minute, keeping her team ahead. Moments later, the final whistle would blow, and Bay FC walked away victorious, 1-0.

Bay FC conclude their season against the Houston Dash on Sat Nov 2 a 6:30pm PT kick off at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston

KC Current’s Chawinga finds back of net with match’s only score in 1-0 shutout over Bay FC

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Kansas City Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult (1) grabs the ball as Bay FC forward Rachel Hill (21) drops to the ground during a goal attempt during the second half of their match at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 12, 2024. Kansas City Current defeated Bay FC 1-0. (photo by Jose Carlos Fajardo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the Kansas City Current in a game that will be crucial to their playoff fight. Kansas City’s lineup had a name that will be very familiar for Bay FC fans, as Kayla Sharples returned to PayPal Park for the first time since being traded. The NWSL’s most dangerous goal-scorer, Temwa Chawinga was also in the building and she was undoubtedly going to make it a difficult night for Bay.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Malonson, Menges, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Pickett, Bailey, Hill, Castellanos, Hocking, Oshoala Current Starting XI: Schult, Wheeler, Sharples, Cook, Mace, Hutton, Labonta, Chawinga, Debinha, Cooper, Prince

Sharples came up big for Kansas City in the opening minutes, preventing the Bay FC attack from creating strong scoring chances. Deyna Castellanos had a corner kick in the fifth minute that would’ve easily ended up in the back of the net if anyone was able to get a foot on it, but a Kansas City defender deflected it for another corner. On the following corner, Bay FC once again got a strong chance off of the set piece but none other than Sharples would make a goal-line clear to keep it scoreless.

After some strong scoring chances at both ends, the game was still tied 0-0 at the half-hour mark. Penelope Hocking was shown a yellow card in the 34th minute. Moments later, Chawinga broke the tie making it 1-0 in favor of the visitors with a cannon of a shot from outside of the box.

Chawinga’s 19th of the season became the new NWSL record for goals in a single season, breaking the previous record which belonged to Sam Kerr. Asisat Oshoala was then shown a yellow card in the 36th minute. In the 42nd minute, Hailie Mace was shown a yellow card.

Eventually, it was reviewed for a potential red card, as it could be considered the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. For the second time of the night though, the review didn’t go Bay FC’s way. Earlier in the game, there had been a review for a potential handball inside of the box. At the end of the half, Kansas City led 1-0.

The second half had quite a bit of back-and-forth action. Early in the half, there was another play that Bay FC thought was a handball inside of the box, but this time the video assistant referee didn’t call for a review by referee Danielle Chesky.

The first substitutions of the match, which included Savy King entering for Castellanos, came in the 71st minute while there was a delay for Bay FC goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland. In the 87th minute, Caroline Conti would enter the match for Dorian Bailey.

The second half was much less eventful than the first, as both teams were struggling to generate consistent offensive chances. Eventually, Bay FC ran out of time and were unable to get themselves on the scoresheet as Kansas City recorded a 1-0, shutout victory over the hosting side.

With Racing Louisville closely trailing them in the standings, Bay FC couldn’t afford to drop points against the Current but unfortunately, they walked away with nothing. With only two games remaining for Bay, the end of their season will be an intense push for the playoffs.

Moving forward, every point is massively significant as they’re going to need to win out if they’re going to make it. More so, it’s not entirely in their own hands either. If Louisville is able to defeat the Washington Spirit on Sunday, it will essentially put the fate of both teams’ season in their hands.

Bay FC can’t find the Bat Signal against Gotham FC get clobbered 5-1 at Red Bull Arena

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Bay FC’s forward Asisat Oshoala (below) scored Bay FC’s only goal at the 18th minute she celebrated with Rachel Kundananji (9) against the Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison NJ on Sat Oct 5, 2024 (photo from Bay FC X)

By William Espy

Bay FC’s push for the playoffs continued as they went on the road to take on Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Gotham had only lost once so far this season at home, meaning Bay was going to have a difficult fight to walk away with three points. Difficult indeed as the Bay were defeated 5-1 by Gotham FC.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Malonson, Menges, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Boade, Pickett, Bailey, Oshoala, Kundananji, Hill

Gotham Starting XI: Berger, Nighswonger, Sonnett, Williams, Stevens, Martin, Davidson, Lavelle, Sheehan, Ryan, Carter

In the 7th minute, Gotham appealed for a potential handball inside the box. As a result, the video assistant referee advised the official to review the play. Upon review, it was clear that the ball hit the extended arm of Asisat Oshoala and Gotham was awarded an early penalty.

Jenna Nighswonger stepped up to take the penalty, and scored after hitting the post as the ball bounced into the net. Katelyn Rowland went the wrong way, giving her no chance to make a save. After the goal, Bay FC was clearly frustrated causing them to play overly aggressively.

Gotham meanwhile was creating more chances offensively looking to extend their lead. Ann-Katrin Berger saw her first action of the night when Dorian Bailey attempted a chip pass to Rachael Kundananji, but the Gotham goalkeeper came out to play the ball.

Oshoala got the equalizer in the 18th minute when a perfectly timed through ball from Kundananji got her behind the defense, leaving her with only Berger to beat. Oshoala had now scored Bay’s last four goals, and had four in five games.

Gotham’s dangerous attack immediately started generating more offensive opportunities, but Bay FC was able to contain them for the most part. Bay had another strong scoring chance in the 32nd minute, but a bit of a broken play led to confusion resulting in Bailey not firing a shot on what would’ve likely been a clear goal.

Around that point in the match, Bay was bringing more offensive pressure than they had all night. Kundananji in particular was creating a lot of chances, but her runs weren’t being finished off by her teammates. In the 38th and 39th minutes, Gotham was trying to overload the box which led to chaos in front of Bay FC’s goal.

Although they weren’t able to score on the sequence, it definitely caused some scary moments for the defense. Ella Stevens and Oshoala collided in extra time, but after a short delay both would get back up with no issues.

Tess Boade immediately started the second half with an attack for Bay FC, but her centering pass didn’t find anyone in front of goal. The first 15 minutes of the half would feature quite a bit of end-to-end action, highlighted by Bailey nearly giving Bay a 2-1 lead when her shot went just over the crossbar.

Oshoala went down in some discomfort around the 60th minute. After getting some attention from the training staff, she remained in the game. Bailey had another chance from in close in the 67th minute, but once again got a little too much on the shot.

Stevens and Caprice Dydasco got tied up in the 68th minute, giving Bay FC a very dangerous free-kick opportunity. They were unable to convert, and Gotham gained possession launching an attack of their own. The ball would end up on the head of Rose Lavelle who gave the home team a 2-1 lead.

In the 72nd minute, Gotham would score another making it 3-1. This time, it was Esther Gonzalez who put it away. Esther got a second less than two minutes later, extending the lead to 4-1. It took less than five minutes for things to completely fall apart for Bay FC in a game that had otherwise been even.

It was very reminiscent of a few games from earlier in the season, and with a playoff push in full swing, these types of mistakes cannot happen. CeCe Kizer would add a fifth goal in the 84th minute. Kundananji left the game in the 88th minute and she was clearly upset and went directly to the locker room rather than remaining on the bench with her teammates. The game would ultimately end in a 5-1 defeat for Bay FC.