Tag: Houston Dash

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 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.

Bay FC takes tough loss in inaugural home opener to Houston 3-2

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Bay FC kicked off their first home game in franchise history at Pay Pal Park in San Jose against the Houston Dash on Sat Mar 30, 2024 (Bay FC photo from X)

By William Espy

Bay FC hosted the Houston Dash on Saturday for their inaugural game at PayPal Park. They were looking to bounce back following a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Spirit last week. Earlier this week, the team announced that the game was sold out, a major accomplishment for the NWSL’s newest team.

Alex Loera returned the lineup after missing the last game for internal reasons as well which was great news for the team, though it is worth noting she was the captain for the team’s first game against Angel City FC, but today that honor was given to San Jose native, and former member of the Dash, Joelle Anderson.

Bay FC Starting XI: Proulx, Dydasco, Mengers, Sharples, King, Loera, Castellanos, Anderson, Boade, Camberos, Oshoala

Houston Dash Starting XI: Campbell, Sanchez, Peterson, Ordonez, Andressa, Alozie, Van Zanten, Schmidt, West, Puntigam, Rubensson

It was clear from before the match even started, that Houston was going to bring high offensive pressure given that they were running with a 3-1-4-2 formation with quite a few attackers. If Bay FC was going to win with their 4-3-3 formation, they were going to have to absorb some pressure but overall it was a game where it wasn’t a question of if there was going to be a goal, it was clear it wouldn’t be a 0-0 draw.

Bay was running with the same exact lineup that got them the win in their first-ever game, however, they did have a couple of different faces on the bench, who would make a difference later in the night. It took a little bit for the game to start, as they had to wait for the smoke from the opening ceremonies to clear.

Lysianne Proulx got tested early when she faced a point-blank shot in the first minute by rookie Amanda West but made a big save to keep the game scoreless. That’s been a theme of the games so far, Proulx has had to keep her team in it and that was going to be the same in this outing as well.

Early in the season, manager Albertin Montoya talked about the importance of the possession style of game that Bay is playing and it was prevalent early in the match. Bay FC was sustaining pressure and maintaining possession, whether it was in their defensive third of the pitch, or the offensive third.

It would be difficult for rookie manager Fran Alonso’s side to score if they never had the ball, and that was Bay’s objective right out of the gate. Early in the match, Tess Boade was getting quite a bit of attention from the official but nothing ever came of it.

They would get booked early though, as Asisat Oshoala received a yellow card in the 16th minute after an apparent desperate slide tackle, but upon replay, it was clear that she had just slipped and collided with the opposition unintentionally.

Deyna Castellanos would score the team’s first-ever goal at PayPal Park, getting the sell-out crowd on their feet in the 19th minute. After Scarlett Camberos brought it down the wing, it was crossed in for Oshoala whose shot was blocked and bounced to Castellanos, who scored from near the penalty marker.

It also marked the Venezuelan national’s first career NWSL goal, as she had spent the rest of her professional career with Atletico Madrid in Spain and Manchester City in England.

In the second half, things started off a little slowly. The first high-quality chance of the half came in the 58th minute, as Boade got a one-on-one with the Dash goalkeeper, Jane Campbell. Campbell made the save, and after a scramble in front of the net a second shot would be blocked and the ball would sail out of play.

Proulx would get tested once again in the 61st minute, but she made the necessary plays fairly easily. Montoya would make his first substitution of the night at this point, bringing in Zambian national Racheal Kundanaji who was making her debut not only for Bay FC but in the NWSL in general.

The former Madrid CFF forward came in for Oshoala as Bay was looking to extend their lead. However, in the 66th minute, Diana Ordonez scored an equalizer. After a cross from the other side of the box, Ordonez was able to score a header which brought her team back into the game.

In the 68th minute, Houston made a substitution to bring Havana Solaun into the game for Elin Rubensson which will be important to remember later on. Early in the 79th minute, Houston had a very strong attacking opportunity, Proulx dove out to punch the ball away but it bounced directly to an attacker while the goalkeeper was out of position.

Luckily for Bay, the ball bounced just wide of the goal keeping the game tied at 1. In the 84th minute, Houston appealed to the officials saying that a ball hit a Bay FC’s player’s hand inside the penalty area and after review, a penalty was called for a handball.

Proulx made the initial save, but the ball bounced back in front of the net directly to Ordonez who scored her second of the night. In the 79th minute, Bay FC made a couple more substitutions to attempt to tie the game. Dorian Bailey came in for Anderson and shortly after Princess Marfo came in for Camberos.

Due to the lengthy delays during the second half, there were nine minutes of stoppage time added for Bay to attempt to equalize. In the 93rd minute, Kundanaji scored a debut goal to make it 2-2 with very little time remaining. She cut in and fired a shot from the right side of the box, which gave Campbell almost no chance to make a save for the Dash.

However, seven minutes later Solaun scored a goal to give the Dash the lead and Bay FC lost their home opener 3-2 in heartbreaking fashion, very reminiscent of their loss last game to the Washington Spirit. Although it was a loss, Bay FC easily could’ve won this match based on the numbers and their control of the game while the sell-out crowd certainly went home entertaining after a back-and-forth match.

It certainly stings that they’ve lost out on a point in stoppage time two games in a row though, so closing out games when tied needs to be an area they work on moving forward.

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