Category: Bay FC

Dash’s Schmidt forces 2-2 draw against Bay FC at Pay Pal Park

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Houston Dash midfielder Kiki Van Zanten (12) and Bay FC defender Caprice Dydasco (3) battle for the ball during the first half of an NWSL soccer game in San Jose, Saturday. Aug. 2, 2025.D. Ross Cameron/For the Chronicle

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC got back to regular-season action when they hosted the Houston Dash on Saturday night at PayPal Park in front of 15,002 fans. The Dash’s Sophie Schmidt in the 88th minute scored to force a 2-2 draw in a real nail biter in NWSL action.

Penelope Hocking nearly got Bay on the board in the second minute, when a pass from Rachael Kundananji found her right in front of goal, but the crossbody shot was too tight of an angle, and it went just wide.

Bay was pressing hard in the offensive third, earning the ball back and generating chances consistently early in the match. Kundananji would eventually connect with Hocking with a low pass through the box, which Hocking put away for her fifth goal of the season, making it 1-0 in favor of the home side in the 16th minute.

Kiki Van Zanten was shown the first yellow card of the game in the 22nd minute for a challenge on Caprice Dydasco. Less than a minute later, Caroline Conti was shown one for a similar challenge on a Dash attacker.

Jane Campbell denied a shot from Kundananji from point-blank range in the 27th minute, then again on the ensuing corner-kick. Houston had a few dangerous chances in the 33rd minute, crossing the ball across the box multiple times, but were unable to get a shot on target.

Hocking went down in the 36th minute after a collision inside the box. After getting some quick medical attention, she got back to her feet and remained in the match.

Jordan Silkowitz was saved by the goalpost when Delanie Sheehan hit the iron in the 42nd minute, keeping Bay FC in the lead. They’d carry that lead into the half, holding the Dash without a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

Tess Boade entered the match for Dorian Bailey to start the second half, the only change for either side at halftime. Hannah Bebar nearly doubled Bay’s lead in the 50th minute, but a diving Campbell made the save. Kundananji had a phenomenal run in the 55th minute that should have ended in a goal, but instead the ball bounced off of the inside of the goalpost and out.

A yellow card was issued to Natalie Jacobs in the 56th minute.

Conti nearly got a goal in the 64th minute with a spinning attempt from right in front of the goal, but Campbell once again stood tall. Houston then took out Evelina Duljan in the 65th minute for Messiah Bright. Kiki Pickett entered the match for Hannah Bebar three minutes later.

Moments after Kelli Hubly went to the sideline due to a collision on field, Van Zanten scored an equalizer to make it 1-1. A minute later, Bay FC retook the lead with a goal from Taylor Huff, the first of her career.

Kundananji hit iron once again in the 76th minute. In the 78th minute, Alyssa Malonson was shown a yellow card as Maddie Moreau entered the match for Hocking.

Once again, Houston scored an equalizer in the 88th minute, this time with Sophie Schmidt scoring the goal. Kundananji was once again denied twice in the 90th minute, with the ball going out for a goal kick.

Unfortunately for Bay, they wouldn’t be able to pull off a reply twice in one night, and the game would end in a 2-2 draw.

Bay FC and Urawa Red Diamonds end it in a 2-2 draw

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Bay FC or the Urawa Red Diamonds were not giving an inch in their friendly battle at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun July 27, 2025 (Bay FC X image)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the Urawa Red Diamonds on Sunday evening for their final friendly of the summer that ended in a 2-2 draw at Pay Pal Park in San Jose.

Caprice Dydasco overlapped and created an opportunity for Bay in the third minute, but the ball sailed just over the goalpost. Penelope Hocking opened the scoring with a fantastic run in the sixth minute, continuing her hot streak.

Urawa tied it up in the 21st minute, after Caprice Dydasco made a goal-line save, then Joelle Anderson followed it up with one of her own. On the third time of asking, though, Ririka Tanno was able to put it away, making it 1-1.

Jordan Silkowitz made a save to deny Sakakibara Kotono in the 25th minute, tipping the ball just over the bar. Anderson fired a long shot that forced Ikeda Sakiko to make a similar save in the 39th minute, keeping the game even at a goal apiece. In Bay FC’s first substitution of the night, Caroline Conti came in for Karlie Lima, then Tess Boade came out for Catherine Paulson.

After 45 minutes, it remained tied at 1-1. Emmie Allen, Taylor Huff, and Jamie Shepherd entered the match for Silkowitz, Dorian Bailey, and Kiki Pickett to start the second half.

Sakiko was forced to make another save early in the second half, barely getting her hand on a ball she saw at the last moment. Sakiko made a phenomenal play, anticipating a move by Paulson and palming the ball before the Bay FC midfielder was able to get a shot off in the 50th minute.

Hocking was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 59th minute. Maddie Moreau came in for Joelle Anderson around the hour mark. Minutes later, Urawa took a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute when a header by Ena Takatsuka beat Allen.

Paulson nearly got an equalizer in the 69th minute, but the ball went well over the crossbar and out of play.

Penelope Hocking was awarded a penalty in the 91st minute, and Conti stepped up to the spot. She beat the goalkeeper and tied up the game in the closing minutes.

Ultimately, the game would end in a highly contested draw, with the final score of 2-2.

Bay FC and Angel City FC play to a 1-1 draw in exhibition match

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Bay FC midfielder Catherine Paulson (17) takes the ball down the field against the Angel FC defender Sophia Mattice (25) during their exhibition match at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Jul 19, 2025 (Bay Area News Group photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC got the 2025 Summer Series underway with an exhibition match against state rivals Angel City FC on Saturday afternoon that finished in a 1-1 draw at Pay Pal Park in San Jose.

Both sides had quite a few players unavailable, as many of the top talents are off representing their country in various international tournaments taking place this summer. As a result, quite a few players got opportunities to show what they can do and how they can make an impact.

Angel City opened the scoring in the 27th minute, when Jun Endo, who has yet to play in a regular season game this season due to injury, beat Emmie Allen and made it 1-0 in favor of the visitors. Catherine Paulson was taken down inside of the box late in the half, but there was no foul called.

Coach Albertin Montoya was livid, and after a conversation with the referee he was shown a yellow card. Kiki Pickett would also be shown a yellow herself in the 43rd minute.

Catherine Paulson was having a strong performance for Bay FC, however her aggression did lead to some mistakes. She was clearly hungry to show what she can bring to the table.

Bay FC would get an equalizer in the second half, when Penelope Hocking had a phenomenal one-touch finish off of a cross from Maddie Moreau, who entered the match after halftime.

Bay would carry a lot of pressure late in the match, with Kiki Pickett, Hocking and Jamie Shepherd all having chances in the final ten minutes of the match to give Bay FC the lead, but none of them found their way into the net.

Ultimately, the not-so-friendly, exhibition match would end in a 1-1 draw. Bay FC will have one more friendly before getting back to regular season action, as they’ll host Urawa Red Diamonds of the Japanese WE league on Sunday.

Orlando edges it out 1-0 on Banda 58th minute goal over Bay FC at Pay Pal Park

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Forward Racheal Kundananji (9) gets a kick away for Bay FC against the Orlando Pride at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri Jun 13, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the reigning NWSL champions, the Orlando Pride, on Friday night. The Pride haven’t been as dominant as they were last season, but they were still second in the league entering the matchup, behind only the Kansas City Current. The Pride were good enough to get by Bay FC 1-0.

Emmie Allen made her first ever start in goal for Bay FC, against a very dangerous attack that included Barbra Banda and Ally Watt just to name a couple.

Bay FC Starting XI: Allen, Malonson, Hubly, Dahlkemper, Dydasco, Bebar, Pickett, Huff, Oshoala, Kundananji, Lema

Orlando Starting XI: Morehouse, Dyke, Nadaner, Sams, Pickett, Yates, McCutcheon, Marta, Costantino, Banda, Watt

Taylor Huff got the best chance of the opening minutes, as she forced Anna Morehouse to make a diving save in the 10th minute, denying the Bay FC rookie of her long-awaited first-career goal. Ally Watt was taken down by Rachael Kundananji in the 13th minute in a hard collision, which likely could’ve seen the Bay FC forward given a yellow card, but she escaped with just a foul. Asisat Oshoala was getting called for multiple fouls early in the match as well, as a result, she was given a final warning by referee Muhammed Hassan less than half an hour into the game.

Marta nearly got the Pride on the board with a great run into the box in the 26th minute, but her shot went wide of the goal. Karlie Lema was shown a yellow card in the 30th minute when she pulled down a Pride player. Allen made her first save on a shot from point-blank range in the 31st minute. It would remain a deadlock heading into half-time, tied at 0-0.

Banda went down in the 51st minute with an apparent ankle injury after getting tangled up with two Bay FC defenders. After a couple of minutes, she ended up remaining in the game. Caprice Dydasco hit the crossbar in the 57th minute right after a corner kick, nearly giving the home side a go-ahead goal. After the referee called a foul, Orlando played a quick free kick, allowing Banda to get behind the defense, and she scored, making it 1-0.

Bay started bringing pressure late in the second half, getting shots through to Morehouse consistently, but with just 15 minutes remaining, they still trailed by a goal. Morehouse dropped the ball off of a corner in the 78th minute after being bumped by her own defender; however, the shot by Penelope Hocking was blocked, and the follow-up chance by Kundananji went over the goal. Caroline Conti nearly got an equalizer in the 82nd minute, but Morehouse was able to tip it over the bar.

Bay FC brought a lot of fight to the end of the game, but ultimately they weren’t able to get an equalizer and ended up falling to Orlando with a final score of 1-0.

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.