Category: Bay FC

San Diego hands Bay FC second straight loss 3-1 at Snapdragon

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Hard as they tried Bay FC couldn’t overcome the San Diego Wave at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Sat Jul 20, 2024 (Bay FC image)

By William Espy

Bay FC visited the San Diego Wave on Saturday night to start the Summer Cup. With a few of their players off to play in the Olympics, and a few others out of the lineup for other reasons, Bay was running with a much different starting eleven than we’ve seen previously.

San Diego had a highly motivated Alex Morgan in the lineup, as she was left off the United States Olympic Team. Emmie Allen was making the first start of her professional career between the pipes for Bay. Bay FC couldn’t hold on losing in a two goal match 3-1 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Bay FC Starting XI: Allen, Brewster, Beattie, Moreau, Dydasco, Bailey, Shepherd, Castellanos, Doms, Conti, Hill

Wave Starting XI: Beall, McNabb, Westphal, Dahlkemper, Wesley, McCaskill, Colaprico, Doniak, Bennett, Sanchez, Morgan

Allen got forced into action early, making a great save in the 6th minute while she was assisted by defender Jordan Brewster who was also making her first start with Bay FC. Bay spent a majority of the opening minutes with the ball around their box, but they were defending very well despite a few young defenders and midfielders.

15 minutes into the game, Allen went down with an apparent injury but she got back on her feet and remained in the game. Katelyn Rowland was on the bench if necessary, but the 21-year-old Allen certainly needed to make the most of her opportunity.

She certainly was doing so, making another save, this time on Alex Morgan in the 26th minute. A nice passing play nearly gave Bay the lead in the 28th minute, and Deyna Castellanos put it away with a nice finish but the play was called offside. Albertin Montoya was trying something new, playing with Castellanos as a false nine which was seemingly working early in the match.

Around the halfway point in the first half, things seemed to switch a bit. The Wave were carrying momentum and bringing heavy pressure early on, but Bay was starting to swing things in their favor. Dydasco made a phenomenal block in the 31st minute, preventing a quality scoring chance by San Diego.

Kristen McNabb picked up a yellow card in the 36th minute for San Diego when she tripped up Dydasco in midfield. A jumping Jordan Brewster and Makenzy Doniak collided in midfield moments later, leaving Doniak down in some pain and Brewster no worse for wear.

Doniak got back to her feet and remained in the match for the time being. San Diego got a dangerous chance in the 40th minute when Jen Beattie went down leaving it a 2-on-1 with Brewster as the long defender back. Brewster handled it very well though and prevented San Diego from getting on the board.

Rachel Hill created a great chance with hard work in the 42nd, as the Wave tried to hold out for a goal kick as the ball drifted out of play but Hill hustled, got a foot on the ball, and centered it to Castellanos who was unable to finish it off.

Moments later, Bay got their strongest opportunity of the night as Maddie Moreau and Hill got past the defense, but Moreau’s pass was just out of Hill’s reach and went out of play. San Diego took the lead in stoppage time off of a corner, Maria Sanchez whipped it into the head of Kennedy Wesley and Allen had no chance to make a save. It marked the Wave’s first goal since June 19th and Wesley’s first professional goal.

Joelle Anderson entered the game early in the second half for Bay FC, taking over for Maya Doms. Bay got a chance around the 50th minute when a cross from Moreau found Castellanos in front of the goal but it went wide of the goal following a weak shot.

Sanchez scored her first goal with the Wave in the 53rd minute on a long shot that went well over Allen’s head, giving her no chance to make the save once again. Allen was playing at a high level in her first career start, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do on either of the goals Bay had conceded.

Anderson continued trying to make an impact after entering the game, getting a solid shot just a few minutes later. Moreau got Bay FC on the board in the 63rd minute following a bad clearing attempt by the Wave’s goalkeeper Beall.

It was a great moment for Moreau, who was undrafted in the 2024 NWSL Draft but still scored in her rookie season. Chaos inside Bay FC’s box in the 80th minute gave San Diego a 3-1 lead. Allen originally made the save, but with nobody in between the ball and Amirah Ali, Ali was able to retrieve the ball and put it away.

All things considered, Bay played well with a young lineup against an experienced Wave team. Bay was awarded a penalty at the start of stoppage time when Dydasco went down hard inside of the box.

Castellanos stepped up to take it, and Beall read the shot perfectly, denying the attempt. San Diego walked away with their first win in 10 games, as they defeated Bay FC 3-1 and now leads their group in the Summer Cup.

That’s the Spirit Bay FC shutout by Washington 3-0 at Pay Pal Park

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As hard as they tried Bay FC couldn’t get on the scoreboard and were shutout by the visiting Washington Spirit at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Jul 6, 2023 (photo by Bay FC)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted the Washington Spirit in their final game before the Olympic break. Bay was looking to extend their winning streak to three games, while the Spirit looked to pull closer to the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current in the standings.

Bay has a couple of ties with the Spirit, as head coach Albertin Montoya was previously their interim coach, while midfielder Dorian Bailey previously played for them. After winning two games in a row and winning three of their last five games Bay FC were shutout at Pay Pal Park 3-0 by the Spirit in Saturday night’s match.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, King, Menges, Sharples, Malonson, Castellanos, Pickett, Bailey, Kundananji, Oshoala, Hill

Spirit Starting XI: Kingsbury, Krueger, Butel, McKeown, Carle, Hershfelt, Sullivan, Rodman, Bethune, Morris, Sarr

In the third minute, Katelyn Rowland got very lucky to only get a yellow card when she came out to play the ball and took out the attacker’s legs. It could’ve easily been more than that, which would’ve certainly put Bay FC in a difficult spot very early on.

They weren’t overly lucky though, as just moments later Washington would make it 1-0 off of a shot from Makenna Morris. Before the match even started, it was clear that Bay would be fighting an uphill battle as they looked to knock off the third-placed team in the NWSL but now it was going to be even more difficult.

Morris was tripped inside the box by Alyssa Malonson in the 17th minute and was awarded a penalty. Upon review, it appeared that Morris tripped over her own leg, but the penalty stood Trinity Rodman stepped up to take it and scored, making it 2-0 for Washington just 20 minutes into the match.

In the 24th minute, Deyna Castellanos appeared to take an elbow to the head after a battle with Hal Hershfelt in midfield. Due to the nature of the impact, she had to get taken a look at by the medical staff but she remained in the game.

Not only did Castellanos remain in the game, but she got Bay FC’s best opportunity of the night so far in the 29th minute. Bailey had a long shot that nearly found the back of the net in the 32nd minute but went wide. Malonson was playing a very physical game, and although the penalty was a low point for her, she was doing very well winning battles and regaining possession for Bay.

Unfortunately, most people will forget her solid play and focus on the mistake. Once the 45 minutes elapsed, the officials added ten minutes of stoppage time leaving plenty of opportunities for Bay to score a goal and get back in the game, or for the Spirit to essentially put the game out of reach early on. Late in stoppage time, Rodman slipped with the ball and continued on but had a significant limp.

Rachael Kundananji nearly got Bay on the board just after the start of the second half, but her shot sailed wide. Malonson picked up an apparent ankle injury in the 51st minute and Caprice Dydasco was ready to enter the match if necessary but remained on the bench for the time being.

Washington extended their lead in the 57th minute in the midst of a counter attack when Ouleymata Sarr got past Kayla Sharples and gave Rowland no chance to make the save. The crucial third goal of the match went to the Spirit, and with a half hour remaining the game seemed out of reach for Bay.

After adding to their lead, Washington made some adjustments taking off Sarr, Sullivan and Morris for Hatch, Metayer, and Brown. In the 66th, Bay made some changes of their own with Malonson coming out for Dydasco and Tess Boade coming in for Castellanos.

In the 72nd, they made another change taking off Asisat Oshoala for Princess. Five minutes later, Washington took off Bethune for Stainbrook. Bay continued playing aggressively though, and Sharples picked up a yellow card in the 81st minute before getting a scoring chance just a few minutes later.

Once again, ten minutes of stoppage time were awarded at the end of the half. Once all was said and done, Bay FC would walk away with their second defeat of the season against the Spirit, this time with a final score of 3-0. It certainly wasn’t how Montoya wanted his squad to head into the break, but they’ll have plenty of time to prepare for their road trip in the second half of August.

Northern Colorado hitting knocks Ballers out of the park in 15-7 crushing at Raimondi

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Northern Colorado Owlz (21-14) 005 321 14 15 21 1

Oakland Ballers (19-16) 000 010 114 7 11 1

Time: 3:19

Attendance: 2,337

Saturday, June 29, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

WEST OAKLAND–There are three consolations for the 15-7 drubbing the Oakland Ballers suffered this warm and sunny Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Northern Colorado Owlz. The first is that it wasn’t as bad as the 15-1 demolition they had endured the previous night.

The second was that the Ballers’ bats finally came alive, too little and too late, but still alive in the B’s four run bottom of the ninth, in which they mixed a hit batter (Austin Davis), a single by Myles Jefferson, a Trevor Halsema double, and Dondrei Hubbard’s eighth home run in 35 games, to give what was a rout the appearance of just a lopsided loss.

This isn’t to say that the team’s offense had been completely moribund until the final frame. Three Ballers had multi hit games. Halsema went three for five; Halsema and Jaylen Smith, two for five. The third consolation, and perhaps the most helpful, was the two mediocre innings, the eighth and ninth, that Kelsie Whitmore pitched to preserve the tattered remnants of the Oakland bullpen to survive and fight another day, Sunday’s contest, in which the Ballers hope to even their six game series against the powerful Owlz.

The four runs, all earned, that she allowed in at the game’s end were more than those surrendered by any of Oakland’s two other relievers, Abraham De León and Jake Dahle. Only starter Aaron Eden, who allowed eight runs on a dozen hits, four of them for four bases, in 3-1/3 frames surrendered more tallies than Whitmore. Needless to say, Eden, now 2-3, 8.40, was charged with the loss.

Northern Colorado used three pitchers. Chase Jesse, their starter, was quite effective, gaining the win that put his record at 4-0, 3.48. He was on the mound for six innings and allowed only one run, which was earned, on five hits and three walks.

He threw 105 pitches, 62 of which fit the definition of strikes. Jason McCassey hurled a dodgy seventh frame and allowed a run, earned, on two hits, a hit batter, a walk, and a wild pitch. Halesma greeted Tyler Curtis with a homer over the left field fence in the eighth, but didn’t allow anything more that inning.

But the Owlz relifer fell apart in the ninth and ended up being charged with five runs, all earned, on as many hits, two of them long balls, and two walks in his two innings of work.

NoCo’s five runs in the third pretty much sealed Oakland’s doom. Dario Gómez’s three run homer was the big blow. He ended up going one for four. Dave Matthews and Jackson Coutts, who were on base at the time, finished the day at three for five and three for three, respectively. Evan Scavotto, who went five for six, was on second with a double when Euro Díaz (four for six) doubled him home. Díaz, in turn, scored on Garrett Kuebers single. You get the picture.

In my report on last Saturday’s Baller-Yolo High Wheelers game in Davis, I discussed JP Gates pitching in relief to two Yolo batters without retiring the side and then being replaced by Connor Richardson without any objection by the umpires or High Wheelers.

It caused quite a buzz in the press box. Tyler Peterson, the B’s sportscaster on 860 AM was especially animated, but no one in the press box, including the knowledgeable Doug Greenwald, had an explanation for this violation of the three batter or last out of the inning rule.

After this afternoon’s contest, I had a chance to talk with the Ballers’ manager, Micah Franklin. He had a very simple explanation for this puzzling event; that rule doesn’t exist in the Pioneer League. There’s a certain irony to this. A few days before I went to Davis to cover the game, I wrote to the league offices to ask how I could acquire their rule book. Their answer came after I’d returned to Oakland. They said the rule book wasn’t available to the public. Go figure.

1:05 is the game time for Sunday’s, chance for the B’s to even the series and remain serious contenders for a guaranteed place in the postseason.

Bay FC Asisat Oshoala scores gamer defeat Racing Louisville 1-0

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Bay FC’s Asisat Oshoala is thrilled after scoring at the 76th minute from the spot against Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville in what would be the match’s only goal. (photo by Bay FC X)

By William Espy

Bay FC was on the road Saturday, as they visited Louisville, Kentucky to take on Racing Louisville FC in a matinee matchup at Lynn Family Stadium. It was an important game as the winner could walk away 8th in the league standings, while the loser could quickly start trending in the wrong direction.

Entering the night, Bay had won three of their last five matchups, while Louisville had two victories and a draw in the same time frame. Bay was without key player Rachael Kundananji who had been suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Asisat Oshoala scored the match’s only goal in the 76th minute that would defeat Racking Louisville 1-0.

Bay Starting XI: Rowland, Malonson, Beattie, Menges, Dydasco, Bailey, Pickett, Anderson, Hill, Oshoala, Boade

Louisville Starting XI: Lund, Pickett, Erceg, Jean, Milliet, DeMelo, Howell, Fischer, Sears, Bahr, DiGrande

The game started out with a collision between Kiki Pickett and Savannah DeMelo in midfield in the first minute. DeMelo was a little shaken up, but the physicality toward her continued as she collided with Jen Beattie and Joelle Anderson just a minute later.

Jaelin Howell would get the first strong chance of the night in the 8th minute for Louisville, however, the ball would sail over the goal. Moments later at the other end, Asisat Oshoala had a great run, she had to hold up while she waited for her teammates but there wasn’t enough on the shot and it was grabbed by the goalkeeper Katie Lund.

Rachel Hill created a second strong chance for Bay on the following play, however her shot went through the box and out for a goal kick. Anderson would be shown a yellow card in the 13th minute following another challenge on DeMelo.

The foul resulted in a very dangerous free kick for Louisville, but after the cross into the box, the ball would be headed out of play. Kayla Fischer nearly gave her teammate Emma Sears a fantastic scoring chance in the 16th minute, but the through-ball was just out of reach and went out for a Bay FC goal kick.

Despite some chances for both teams early in the first half, the game was fairly sluggish out of the gate. The main reason would likely be the 94-degree heat, which certainly had an effect on both teams. In the 37th minute, Louisville had their best opportunity of the night so far on a shot by Fischer but Katelyn Rowland was able to track the shot and make the save. Louisville truly came alive in stoppage time, getting multiple scoring opportunities but were unable to convert. The game entered half-time as a 0-0 draw.

Bay FC made a single change heading into the second half, with Anderson coming out for Deyna Castellanos. Hill got Bay’s first shot of the half in the 48th minute, but the defense stood strong once again. In the 58th minute, Elexa Bahr was alone with quite a bit of space inside of the box, however, her shot was off-target and went out of play.

Louisville came out with quite a bit of energy in the second half, as a result they were creating most of the offense early in the half. Reilyn Turner came on for Louisville in the 64th minute replacing Bahr, while Bay made quite a few changes at the same time, with Kayla Sharples, Princess, and Savy King coming on for Beattie, Caprice Dydasco, and Tess Boade. Demelo was involved in another collision in the 67th minute and received some attention from the trainer but she remained in the game.

Louisville made a few changes of their own as Parker Goins and Jordan Baggett came on for Fischer and Marisa DiGrande in the 72nd minute. In the 73rd, Princess was brought down inside of the box. The Video Assistant Referee suggested that the play be reviewed for a potential penalty.

The penalty was ultimately awarded, and Bay FC had a phenomenal opportunity to take the lead with less than 20 minutes remaining. The foul was the result of contact with Baggett inside of the box. Oshoala stepped up to the spot for Bay and she scored to give Bay a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute.

Immediately after the penalty, the game was paused for a hydration break. In the 88th minute, Oshoala found Princess inside of the box who attempted to extend the lead but was unable to finish the chance. Louisville took out Emma Sears for Maddie Pokorny in the 89th minute as they attempted a final push for an equalizer.

As the timer crossed the 90-minute mark, it was announced that Louisville would have nine minutes of stoppage time to attempt to tie things up. Lund would go down in the 92nd minute following a lot of action on the other end of the pitch.

Caroline Conti entered the match for Oshoala in the 94th following the injury delay. Carson Pickett nearly tied it up right before the whistle, but the shot went just wide. Bay FC’s defense held up and they recorded their second straight shutout, and more importantly their second straight 1-0 win.

Tess Boade gets critical goal as Bay FC defeats Angel City 1-0 at Pay Pal

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Angel City FC goalkeeper DiDi Haracic (13) makes a save against Bay FC during the second half at PayPal Park in San Jose Sat June 22, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted Angel City FC on Saturday night. Bay’s first-ever victory came against their California rivals in their first game earlier this season, so Angel City looked to avenge that loss at PayPal Park. Following their last outing against the Utah Royals FC, Bay head coach Albertin Montoya made quite a few changes to his starting eleven for this match as he looks to spark his team. Bay FC’s Tess Boade scored the game’s only goal in the 33rd minute for a 1-0 tally.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, King, Menges, Beattie, Malonson, Bailey, Pickett, Kundananji, Oshoala, Castellanos, Boade

Angel City starting XI: Haracic, Vignola, Gorden, Reid, Spencer, Rodriguez, Nabet, Thompson, Emslie, Le Bihan, Leroux

The first half went Bay FC’s way in almost every category except for possession. Tess Boade gave them a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute off of an assist from Emily Menges. But they also led in shots, shots on target and were earning quite a few set piece opportunities, earning six corner kicks in the first half.

They also were creating quite a few opportunities with crosses, although they weren’t all resulting in scoring chances, getting balls in the box will often be beneficial. At the halfway point, they already had 16 crosses while their opposition only had six. Bay has struggled to play with a lead most of the season though, so now the second half was going to make or break their game.

In stoppage time of the first half Jen Beattie picked up a yellow card, which was Bay’s second of the night. As a result, Bay FC had two defenders on a yellow heading into a key point in the match, as Savy King had picked one up earlier. They needed to be cautious to avoid picking up a red card and spending the rest of the match down a player.

Angel City started the substitutions for the night in the 62nd minute with Hammond, Fuller and Thompson entering the match for Nabet, Vignola, and Le Bihan. Four minutes later, Bay made three of their own bringing on Rachel Hill, Joelle Anderson and Caprice Dydasco for King, Boade, and Deyna Castellanos.

Just a few minutes later, Kayla Sharples would enter the match for Beattie, as Montoya tried to do whatever he could to prevent a late game headache with a red card. In terms of scoring, nothing would change in the second half as Bay FC held on to walk away with their second win against Angel City of the season.

Bay FC has been very clear about their mission to not lose to the same team twice this season, winning against the same team twice is definitely something they’d like to see more often though. This victory also put Bay FC within striking distance of the playoffs as well. They’ve tied Angel City and Louisville in points and only trail North Carolina by a single point. Sixth in the table is undoubtedly within reach for Bay, they just need to string some results together quickly.

They’ll return to action next weekend against Louisville in a very important match, as the winner will move up the standings while the loser can fall down considerably as well. The NWSL is a very tight league, and one result can make a massive difference at this point in the season.

Bay FC loses on heartbreak goal by Utah Royals Kate Del Fava in 1-0 loss

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Bay FC’s Kayla Lynne Sharples (27) fights for the ball against Utah Royals FC’s Kate Del Fava (8) in the second half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–It was a battle of the expansion teams on Sunday night, as Bay FC hosted the Utah Royals for the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Utah is off to a difficult start with only four points through their first 12 games, while Bay FC is looking to build off their monumental win against the Chicago Red Stars at Wrigley Field. Bay couldn’t close the deal Sunday at Pay Pal Park in San Jose losing on a 89th minute goal 1-0 by the Royals Kate Del Fava.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Malonson, Sharples, Pickett, Anderson, Boade, Hill, Kundananji, Oshoala

Utah Starting XI: Haught, Flynn, Tejada, Del Fava, Burns, Foederer, Henry, Fraser, Tucker, Sentnor, Mozingo

Bay FC started off in control, getting multiple chances in the opening ten minutes while a majority of Utah’s possession was spent in their defensive half of the pitch attempting to break out and launch an attack.

When the Royals did get an attack set up, Bay was finding a way to get in the shooting lanes and prevent them from putting any pressure on Katelyn Rowland. In the 15th minute, Bay got their best opportunity of the night so far when Asisat Oshoala slipped with the ball inside of the box, it fell to Rachael Kundananji who shot it just wide despite the goalkeeper being a non-factor in the play.

They continued applying pressure to Utah’s defense for the next few minutes, with a couple of more chances coming in short succession. Tess Boade had a phenomenal run that nearly gave her team the lead in the 24th minute, however, she was unable to sneak the ball past Mandy Haught who went down in some discomfort after the play.

Utah made an early substitution in the 26th, taking off Lauren Flynn for Madison Pogarch. Caprice Dydasco had a long shot that hit the crossbar in the 28th minute. It was clear in the first 30 minutes that Oshoala and Kundananji are developing the chemistry that fans have been waiting for, as they kept creating chances for one another, but it still remained a 0-0 tie.

Joelle Anderson got called for the first yellow card of the game in the 37th minute when she tripped up Amandine Henry. Kundananji continued feeding passes into the box as the half progressed, but unfortunately for Bay FC, nobody had been able to get good contact on any of them, otherwise they could’ve easily been leading at this point in the match.

Tess Boade had a solid opportunity of her own in the 42nd, but it was saved by Haught. Dydasco picked up Bay FC’s second yellow card of the night during the 45th minute when she tripped up the ball carrier from behind. The first half came to an end, with the game still tied at 0.

Rowland faced her first real test of the night in the 56th minute when she was forced to extend out completely to tip a ball over the crossbar. Anderson and Oshoala came out in the 60th minute with Deyna Castellanos and Dorian Bailey taking over.

Utah was playing stronger to start the second half, creating more opportunities and not letting Bay get as many attacking chances but still, the game remained 0-0 by the 70th minute. Kundananji continued to create chances though, taking another shot in the 74th minute that sailed just over the goal at this point, Albertin Montoya made another substitution taking out Rachel Hill for Scarlett Camberos.

Kundananji seemed to have gotten her goal in the 85th minute, but it was called a foul as she pushed off of the defender. Utah would get awarded a free kick in the 89th minute when Boade picked up a yellow card, they then went on to score off of the set piece when Kate Del Fava was able to connect with the cross and put it in the back of the goal.

Now, Bay FC only had the nine minutes of stoppage time to find an equalizer. They’d be unable to do so, and Utah would walk away with their second win of the season, defeating Bay FC 1-0.

Bay FC picks up second win in last three games defeat Chicago Red Stars 2-1

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Bay FC celebrates their victory match over the Chicago Red Stars at Wrigley Field in Chicago in NWSL action on Sat Jun 8, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC’s mission not to lose to a team more than once in their inaugural season continued as they looked for revenge against the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday night. It was a historic night for the NWSL, as it was the first game ever to take place in an MLB stadium and it happened to be one of the most famous stadiums in the country, Wrigley Field.

In their only previous meeting, the Red Stars walked away with three points following a 2-1 game at PayPal Park. This night was also very important for one member of Bay FC, Kayla Sharples, who grew up in the Chicago area and spent a considerable amount of time with the Red Stars to start her professional career, returned for the first time since leaving as a free agent in the offseason. Bay would pick up their second win in their last three games with a 2-1 tally at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Sharples, Malonson, Pickett, Anderson, Boade, Kundananji, Oshoala, Hill

Chicago Starting XI: Naeher, Malham, Staab, Kuikka, Anderson, Roccaro, Nesbeth, Swanson, Schlegel, Bianchi, Hocking

On a rainy night in Chicago, Bay FC wanted to try to get off to a hot start, getting chances early including one from Tess Boade in the 4th minute. Bay was undoubtedly the stronger team in the first half, and that got reflected on the scoreboard when Kiki Pickett had a phenomenal strike from outside of the box to give her team a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute.

She took advantage of the defenders leaving her quite a bit of space, and the end result was her first career NWSL goal. Rachael Kundananji nearly extended the lead in the 36th minute, but Alyssa Naeher was able to get a hand on it and tip the ball over the net.

Set pieces were a big part of Bay FC’s first half, as they set a franchise record with 11 corners in the first half. They also led significantly in possession with 60% and shots with 14. Although the scoreboard was in Bay’s favor, it still didn’t reflect how well they played in the first 45 minutes. Both goalkeepers had been great when called upon though, as both Naeher and Katelyn Rowland got tested a couple of times in the half.

Bay tends to struggle with holding leads into the second half, so with only a single goal separating them from their opposition, they needed a strong start coming out of the break if they were going to walk out with three points.

Meanwhile, if Chicago was going to take advantage of that fact they’d need to find an equalizer quickly so they have enough time to take the lead later in the match. Chicago made a couple of substitutes to start the second half, Tatumn Milazzo and Jenna Bike entered the match for Natalia Kuikka and Julia Bianchi.

The second half started off similar to the first, Boade immediately got a scoring chance then Pickett had another long shot, however, Naeher was able to get in front of this one. The first five minutes of the half were all Bay FC, but a counter-attack led by Penelope Hocking got the Red Stars their first opportunity of the half in the 50th minute but the shot trickled wide.

Rowland made a dangerous mistake in the 54th minute when a pass got picked off by Hocking with no defenders back. Bay was able to recover, however those mistakes have become very common lately. Bay made some substitutions of their own when Scarlett Camberos and Dorian Bailey entered the match in the 62nd minute for Rachel Hill and Asisat Oshoala.

Sharples went down in some clear pain in the 66th minute after taking a ball directly in the face. Meanwhile, Chicago took advantage of the break in play to make a couple of more substitutions with Chardonnay Curran and Shea Groom coming on. In the 72nd, Chicago had a corner kick and Groom collided with Rowland who had possession of the ball.

The play was not called a foul, but Bay was awarded a goal kick. Moments later, Kundananji had a fantastic run following a through ball from Boade that got her behind the defense. She was able to dribble around Naeher however the ball sailed over the empty goal.

Less than a minute later, Kundananji had another chance, this time off of a spinning shot that hit the crossbar. In the 75th minute, the attendance was announced for the game which set the NWSL record and got a massive response from the crowd.

In the 79th minute, Bay was finally able to get their second goal of the night when Bailey’s centering pass went to Curran who attempted to clear the ball and it went directly into Joelle Anderson and into the back of the net. Rocarro nearly broke Bay FC’s clean sheet in the 88th minute, however it rang off of the crossbar and went out of play.

Eventually, Chicago would get on the board with Hocking scoring in stoppage time. It would be too little too late though, as Anderson’s goal would ultimately be the difference. Bay played their best complete game of the season which bodes well for their return home against Utah next weekend. On the biggest stage in NWSL history, Bay FC stepped up and walked away with the three points.

Gotham FC blanks Bay FC 2-0; Fifth loss in last six games for Bay

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Bay FC struggled to get the ball over the goal crease against Gotham FC at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri May 24, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC looked to follow up their win against the San Diego Wave with one over the defending NWSL champions, Gotham FC on Friday night. After this game, Bay will have roughly two weeks off before their next game against the Chicago Red Stars at Wrigley Field.

As a result, it was crucial for them to walk away with some points against one of the top teams in the league to build some confidence heading into their break. It wouldn’t be easy though, as Gotham had won three of their last five games entering the night and had gotten at least a single point in each of those matchups. Gotham had a strong defense and Bay couldn’t get offense going in a 2-0 shutout loss at Pay Pal Park. It was Bay’s fifth loss in their last six games.

Bay Starting XI: Rowland, King, Sharples, Menges, Dydasco, Blade, Pickett, Anderson, Kundananji, Camberos, Oshoala

Gotham Starting XI: Berger, NIghswonger, Hiatt, Sonnett, Bell, Sheehan, Martin, Lavelle, Stevens, Ryan, Gonzalez

Bay got an attacking opportunity immediately after kick-off when a breakout pass from their defensive third split through the defense and found Rachael Kundananji.

If she had taken a shot, she may have scored a goal but she stopped and attempted a pass which was broken up. She’s a great team player, there’s no doubt about that but it’s likely Albertin Montoya would’ve preferred her to be a little more selfish in that situation.

Asisat Oshoala was pulled out of the game momentarily for causing an injury delay in the 5th minute but quickly rejoined her team on the pitch. Rose Lavelle had a bit of an injury scare for Gotham in the 12th minute, however, she was able to get up and remain in the game despite some clear discomfort.

Bay was still bringing offensive pressure at this point but had been unable to capitalize despite a few great opportunities. In the 14th minute, Tess Boade and Joelle Anderson tried to pull off a sneaky passing play off of a corner, despite it working pretty well they were unable to get the ball into the goal.

Moments later, Kundananji almost scored off of another corner play when a cross from Emily Menges found her head but it went just wide of the goal post. There was a review initiated by the video assistant referee in the 20th minute for a possible Gotham penalty, it was decided that no foul had occurred though, and play resumed.

Despite playing a standard 4-4-2 formation, Bay FC was rotating players positionally fairly consistently up front. Kundadnanji would occasionally slip from striker to playing the left side of midfield while Boade moved up front and then minutes later they’d swap back.

It left the defense guessing, which is part of the reason it seemed they were able to generate so many chances early in the match. In the 28th, Boade ran out of space when trying to gather a Savy King cross inside the box giving Gotham a goal kick.

If there had just been a couple of more feet, Boade may have been able to get a quality shot off. Early in the 31st minute, Gotham got their best chance of the night when a shot got past Katelyn Rowland but hit the inside of the goalpost.

Moments later though, they’d get an even better one that this time found mesh rather than metal. Ella Stevens slipped through the defense and deflected a centering pass into the goal, although there were initially some concerns of offside from Bay’s defense, the goal didn’t trigger a review.

Less than two minutes later, Rowland was carrying the ball inside the box when she got it taken away from her by an attacking Stevens, who scored her second of the night with an assist to Esther Gonzalez. Despite a strong first 30 minutes for the home team, it just took two strong minutes from Gotham to change the game drastically.

Ann-Katrin Berger required some medical attention in the 36th minute, giving Bay an opportunity to try to recuperate with a sideline talk from Montoya. The home team’s play got a lot sloppier following the two goals against, they weren’t connecting on their passes the same and although they were still working hard, it was clear that the confidence that they started the night with was gone, or at least significantly lessened. They wouldn’t be able to respond before the end of the half, and Gotham went into the break with a 2-0 lead.

Kundananji collided hard with Berger inside the box, the ball was deflected up high and Kundananji was trying to get her team on the board while Berger jumped up to grab the ball. Berger went down hard, and needed medical attention, as a result, Kundananji was shown a yellow card and truthfully may have been lucky that was all that she was given.

Meanwhile, Berger remained down in serious pain and struggled to walk when she got up. In a great show of sportsmanship though, Kundananji walked over and checked on her once Berger got to her feet. Gotham’s goalkeeper remained in the game, although with how much difficulty she was having, it’s a bit surprising that they left her in as we saw earlier in the night, it just takes a few mistakes to change the trajectory of the match.

The first substitutions of the night came in the 61st minute when Tierna Davidson and Crystal Dunn entered the match for Gotham. In the 68th minute, Anderson, King, and Oshoala came out for Dorian Bailey, Deyna Castellanos, and Alyssa Malonson. More changes came for both sides in the 75th minute, Montoya was looking for some help in the attack, bringing in Rachel Hill for Scarlett Camberos.

Boade got a great opportunity with a run through the defense in the 80th minute, but she was denied by Berger, who appeared to aggravate her injury from the collision with Kundananji earlier in the half and once again needed attention. Castellanos had a great chance to add a goal for Bay in the 86th minute, but her strike went just wide of the goal.

At the end of the 90th minute, Bailey was pulled down inside of the box however Bay wasn’t awarded a penalty to the dismay of the crowd in attendance. Montoya was shown a yellow when a few moments later Bay was called for a foul.

Throughout the night, it seemed like nothing was going their way in that regard and it was clear frustration had set in. As it always does, time would eventually run out. Bay FC wasn’t able to break up Berger’s clean sheet and despite a rough night at the office for Gotham’s goalkeeper, she got the best result she could’ve hoped for when all was said and done.

Whenever facing off against the defending champions, you can’t even give them an inch or they’ll take a mile and that’s exactly what happened on this occasion.

Bay FC gets by San Diego Wave 2-1; Bay ends 5 game skid

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Bay FC score goal and later enjoy the thrill of victory defeating the San Diego Wave at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri May 17, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC had an opportunity to get revenge on the San Diego Wave on Friday night. Their previous meeting was a 2-1 victory for the Wave, however heading into the night they had yet to win a game on the road which would be some good news for Bay.

Bay FC’s performances lately haven’t been great either though, as they entered the night in the middle of a five-game losing streak which they desperately hoped to end. Prior to the match, Caprice Dydasco was given a shirt commemorating her 150th career NWSL match which she had played a few weeks ago. Bay turned the tables on the Wave on Friday night with a 2-1 win of their own at Pay Pal Park in San Jose.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Sharples, King, Anderson, Pickett, Blade, Kundananji, Oshoala, Camberos

San Diego Starting XI: Sheridan, Lundkvist, Girma, Wesley, Westphal, van Egmond, Colaprico, Sanchez, McCaskill, Jones, Carusa

On the injury front, Bay FC would be without Maddie Moreau, Jordan Brewster, and Maya Doms. Alex Loera and Melissa Lowder remain on the season-ending injury list and will not return until 2025. San Diego on the other hand would be without key player Alex Morgan as well as Jaedyn Shaw and Makenzy Doniak.

An interesting note was that Deyna Castellanos was available off of the bench, which hasn’t been a common occurrence so far this season. After the match, Albertin Montoya said that she had picked up a knock during training and had to be limited as a result.

San Diego did a great job holding possession for the first few minutes of the match, most of the time when Bay touched the ball early it was a simple clearance that would be regathered by San Diego very quickly. Scarlett Camberos got Bay’s first attack going in the fifth minute and earned a corner kick after a fantastic run.

Joelle Anderson kicked it short to Tess Boade who immediately passed it back to Anderson who fired a shot that went just high of the goal. Bay got another strong attacking opportunity when Kailen Sheridan came out of her box to play the ball, the attacking duo of Asisat Oshoala and Rachael Kundananji tried to pass it around to find a shot on the open net, however, were unable to do so.

In the 23rd minute, a scramble in front of the net eventually found its way to the Wave’s striker Kyra Carusa who was able to take advantage and give her team a 1-0 lead halfway through the first half. In the 26th minute, the ball deflected awkwardly off of Katelyn Rowland’s hands and nearly gave the Wave a 2-0 lead, however, Kiki Pickett was able to get back and make a goal-line save to deny a second goal.

Camberos continued to create chances in the offensive third of the pitch through hard work and determination, but at the half-hour mark, they still hadn’t been able to convert on any of the chances. Boade was shown a yellow card during the 35th minute following a play in which she lost possession and made a challenge in an attempt to get it back.

The dynamic duo of Oshoala and Kundananji had another strong chance in the 45h minute, however, the goalkeeper played it almost perfectly and prevented them from getting a shot off. After a single minute of stoppage time, the referee would blow the whistle to mark the end of the first half.

Despite San Diego leading considerably in possession time, shots, and shots on target, the game felt much more even than the numbers indicated at the half. Many of Bay’s opportunities were coming in transition, which didn’t come across on the stat sheet very well.

Albertin Montoya’s squad remained the same to start the second half, while Casey Stoney made one change taking off Naomi Girma for Abby Dahlkemper. Camberos, who had been one of the focal points of the offense all night, finally got herself a goal in the 55th minute.

She was left alone by the back post, and once the ball got to her off of a pass from Pickett, Sheridan had no chance to stop it. It marked Camberos’s first goal with her new team, as although she’d been close on many occasions she hadn’t been able to convert on any of her chances to that point.

After the goal, San Diego would make a couple of substitutions taking off Carusa and Christen Westphal for Kristen McNabb and Elyse Bennett. In the 65th, Stoney would make another substitution taking out Mya Jones for Sofia Jakobsson.

Anderson got a chance in the 67th minute, as she got behind the defense but Sheridan came up big for San Diego and denied the shot. With the game tied up, an already physical game got much more physical. Bay was desperate for a point, although they’d undoubtedly prefer three, and the Wave weren’t going to give it to them without a fight. In the 71st minute, Sheridan required some medical attention but remained in the game after a short delay.

Jakobsson nearly scored a go-ahead goal for San Diego in the 74th minute, but a clutch save by Rowland maintained the tie for the time being. Anderson came out for Dorian Bailey in the 75th minute. Bay FC continued bringing a lot of pressure in their offensive end of the pitch as the match entered the final 15 minutes, however, San Diego was responding with some pressure of their own as well.

It was quite a bit of back and forth at that stage of the game. In the 87th minute, Bailey jumped around a diving Sheridan while maintaining control of the ball. She passed the ball into the center of the box and Rachael Kundananji was able to get to it and give Bay FC a 2-1 lead with minimal time remaining.

Boade and Savy King came out after the goal with Castellanos and Alyssa Malonson taking their place.Camberos came out in the 92nd minute for Jen Beattie as Montoya looked to defend the lead.After an abundance of time wasting and creating even more offensive chances, the referee would blow the whistle in the 98th minute and Bay FC’s losing streak was officially over. They walked away with a 2-1 win.

They’ve played well most of the season so far despite not getting the result on many occasions, it’s possible this could be remembered as a turning point in the season but we’ll have to wait and see.

William Espy is a Bay FC beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Orlando shuts out Bay FC 1-0; Bay FC drops fifth straight match

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Bay Fc fought and battled but came up short for their fifth straight loss at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando City on Sat May 11, 2024 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC continued their inaugural season with a road trip to Florida to take on the undefeated Orlando Pride and their star players, Barbra Banda and Marta. However, Marta was out of the starting eleven so if she was going to make an appearance it would be as a substitute.

Meanwhile, the visiting team got two key attackers back in this match as both Rachael Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala were available after missing the previous game due to injury. Maya Doms, who was celebrating her 23rd birthday was unavailable due to injury.

If Bay FC was going to end their losing streak, they’d have to overcome one of the most difficult opponents in the NWSL. Despite not being at the very top of the goal-scoring and not conceding the fewest goals in the league, the Pride were top five in both categories which is a big part of the reason they find themselves joint-top of the table alongside the Kansas City Current. The Pride got by 1-0 shutting out Bay at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando City. It was Bay FC’s fifth straight loss.

Bay FC Starting XI:

Rowland, King, Menges, Sharples, Malonson, Pickett, Boade, Castellanos, Kundananji, Oshoala, Camberos

Orlando Starting XI: Moorhouse, Sams, Rafaelle, Strom, Abello, McCutcheon, Gautrat, Yates, Adriana, Doyle, Banda

The first five minutes were mainly spent in Bay FC’s defensive third and the Pride were getting quite a few scoring opportunities. Alyssa Malonson got booked in the sixth minute for a challenge from behind which would be followed up by Orlando’s first booking on Emily Sams.

Malonson’s yellow card would be very dangerous for Bay, as a defender on a card that early against a team with a very effective attack could easily lead to a second yellow. The first 15 minutes were all Orlando, they were leading in possession, had all the shots, and were thoroughly outplaying Bay FC but the score still didn’t reflect that as it remained a 0-0 tie.

This was a very strange situation for Bay who pride themselves on a possession style of play and to that point, they’d been unable to establish that in this game. When Bay did have the ball though, it was no surprise that

Tess Boade was one of the players most commonly on the ball. She was playing a physical game and had quite a few early collisions leading to free kicks for her team. Bay got their first shot on target of the night in the 23rd minute when Kundananji forced Anna Moorhouse to make the save.

Orlando was bringing heavy offense pressure when Deyna Castellanos fouled Banda inside of the box, giving the Pride a penalty kick in the 29th minute. Adriana took the penalty and scored her first of the season beating Katelyn Rowland low to the left side of the goal.

Over the next few minutes Banda made two similarly dangerous run into the box but Emily Menges broke up the first and Kayla Sharples perfectly defended the second while avoiding fouling her. Scarlett Camberos had a very rough challenge on Kylie Strom but somehow avoided a card despite Strom flipping over her in a dangerous manner.

At the half, Orlando led 1-0 while also controlling possession with 60% and 12 shots on target, 17 shots total. Rowland had played very well for Bay despite the lack of a clean sheet and the defense was doing their best to prevent any high-quality scoring chances despite being stuck in their own box for a big portion of the half.

In the second half, Marta came on for Orlando as did Dydasco for Bay. Oshoala drew a yellow card in the 53rd minute when Rafaelle essentially wrapped around her. Bay started the second half much better, however it was still clear that Orlando was the better team up to that point.

Bay was making progress though, and they were desperately trying to find an equalizer. Bay’s first corner of the night didn’t come until the 61st minute, which was also out of character for them. Castellanos is usually taking corners all night long, but that wasn’t the case this time out.

All Bay needed to do was find a way to score and none of that would matter though, the fact that they had been drastically outplayed on paper would become irrelevant if they could find a way to get a result.

In the 66th minute, Kundananji got a yellow card following appeals from Orlando’s coaching staff following a hard collision with Strom, who did receive some medical attention after the play. Boade and Castellanos would be substituted off after the delay with Joelle Anderson and Dorian Bailey taking their place in an attempt to help maintain possession in midfield.

By the 75th minute, things had evened out a bit with Bay having 43% of the possession at that point. They needed to play with more desperation, however, it also seemed like the Pride were letting off of the gas pedal a bit. Camberos didn’t fully escape a yellow card in the match, picking one up in the 80th minute.

Sharples and Menges certainly had their work cut out for them over the course of the game and it became clear that fatigue was starting to set in, but they were still playing very well. With a final push ahead of them, Princess came on for Camberos in the 88th minute.

Moments later Ally Lemos came on for Banda who had played a great game for Orlando, as you’d expect from her at this point. Savy King would end up coming out late in stoppage time with Maddie Moreau coming into the game for her.

Despite Bay FC’s attempts, they were unable to tie it up and lost 1-0. Although they were statistically outplayed, this game could’ve easily been a 0-0 draw thanks to the defense if it weren’t for the penalty. They’ll look to end their growing losing streak next week at home against San Diego.