Tag: National Women’s Soccer League

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 picks up key win edge Club America 2-1 at Pay Pal Park

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Aug 2, 2024; San Jose, CA, USA; Bay FC defender Maddie Moreau (24) and Club America forward Noemi Granados (6) battle for the ball during the first half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

SAN JOSE–Bay FC had a familiar face return to PayPal Park on Friday night as Scarlett Camberos, who recently departed from the club, returned with her new team Club America for the NWSL x Liga MXF Summer Cup. Head coach Albertin Montoya went with a slightly more experienced lineup than we’d seen previously in the Cup, but Maddie Moreau, who has certainly impressed over the course of the tournament, remained in the starting 11. Bay FC picked up the win Friday night just getting by Club America 2-1.

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Beattie, Moreau, Malonson, Pickett, Bailey, Hill, Boade, Castellanos

Club America Starting XI: Panos, Rodriguez, Granados, Guerrero, Hernandez, Orejel, Avilez, Enciso, Luebbert, Palacios, Camberos

The game started off with quite a bit of physicality and it seemed to center around Tess Boade early in that regard, which isn’t unordinary with her style of play. Bay were creating chances in the opening minutes but Club America were defending responsibly.

Moreau got her second professional goal just seven minutes into the match, when the ball landed at her feet with an empty net directly in front of her. She has been earning Montoya’s trust, and it’s well deserved.

Camberos launched an attack for Club America in the 10th minute, but her former teammate Emily Menges defended her perfectly kicking the ball out for a corner that was caught by Katelyn Rowland. In the 18th minute, Bay had another prime scoring opportunity as the ball went straight through the box but nobody was there to tap it into the netting.

Moments later, the ball found Kiki Pickett, but her shot went wide of the goal. Club America got their best opportunity to this point in the match in the 23rd minute when they were able to cross it across the box a couple of times, but were unable to make anything of it.

Besides Camberos, it seemed like their most involved player was Nicolette Hernandez who fired a shot on target whenever she got an opportunity to do so. Noemi Granados nearly gifted Bay a goal in the 25th minute as she slipped with the ball at her feet, handing it to Boade who created a 2-on-1 rush with Rachel Hill but Club America was able to recover defensively.

Camberos scored in her return to PayPal Park in the 29th minute off of a pass from Sarah Luebbert. It was a moment that seemed somewhat inevitable, and she was able to accomplish it very early on. Bay FC had been playing well up until the goal, and it was vital that they didn’t let a single moment derail their performance.

The summer of Moreau nearly continued with a goal in the 38th minute, but her shot went just wide. The first half came to an end after 45 minutes, with no stoppage time and a 1-1 tie.

Joelle Anderson and Jordan Brewster entered the match to start the second half for Bay FC with Boade and Menges coming out as a result. Deyna Castellanos tried to restore her team’s lead in the 48th minute with a powerful shot from outside of the box, and although a diving Sandra Panos wasn’t able to get in front of it, it went just wide of the goal.

Club America nearly got a lead of their own when Luebbert got behind the defense but was slightly tripped up and ended up falling into the goal while Rowland gathered the ball. Rachel Hill was taken down inside the box in the 50th minute, but to the dismay of the crowd, a foul wasn’t called by the official. Bay FC regained the lead in the 53rd minute, as a Jen Beattie header placed the ball right on the goal line following a corner and Dorian Bailey toe-poked it into the goal.

Club America attempted to equalize it in the 55th minute with a header of their own, but it went just over the crossbar. Castellanos came out in the 60th minute for Princess, while Aylin Avilez came out for Miah Zuazua.

Princess immediately got a scoring chance in the 61st minute, but her touch knocked the ball slightly out of reach of a shot and as a result, Panos was able to take away her shooting angle. Granados and Leubbert came out for Club America in the 64th minute with Nancy Antonio and Natalia Mauleon entering the match.

Albertin Montoya made another change in the 68th minute when Caprice Dydasco came out for Savy King. Bailey got another opportunity in the 70th minute but once again, her first touch was too heavy and the ball bounced to the goalkeeper Panos.

Camberos nearly got her second of the night in the 77th minute, but the shot went wide of the goal. Rowland went down in the 82nd minute and received some medical attention before getting back up to her feet and remaining in the game.

A collision between Princess and Sabrina Enciso in the 88th minute saw Enciso go down in considerable difficulty before she ultimately got back up and stayed in the match.

There were four minutes of stoppage time awarded at the 90-minute mark, meaning a Bay FC victory was very close, they just needed to hang on for a few more minutes. Moreau seemed to be cramping up around this point in the match, as she went down for a moment while by herself but got back up and played with no further difficulty.

Camberos was tackled inside the box in the 92nd minute, but once again the official decided there was no foul on the play. Time eventually ran out for Club America, and Bay FC walked away with their first and only victory of the Summer Cup, with a 2-1 final score at PayPal Park.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bay FC pick up first home win in franchise history with 3-2 win over Seattle

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Bay FC players were thrilled with their winning goal over the Seattle Reign FC at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun Apr 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC Hosted Seattle Reign FC on Sunday evening on Women’s Empowerment Night and picked up their first home victory of the franchise 3-2 at Pay Pal Park. Bay FC’s most recent game was against the Houston Dash on March 30, a night that marked their first home opener as well as the first sellout in team history. Now, following a couple of weeks of international duty for some of the players, the team was ready to return to action and try to avenge their loss to the Dash.

Seattle Reign Starting XI: Dickey, Huerter, Cook, Barnes (C), Woodham, James-Turner, Van Der Jagt, Athens, Ji, Fishlock, Balcer

Bay FC Starting XI: Rowland, Dydasco, Menges, Malonson, Sharples, Loera, Bailey, Castellanos, Oshoala, Boade (C), Kundananji

It’s important to note that Lysianne Proulx was unavailable for this game after picking up a minor injury while playing with Canada, but she has been participating in some training recently and is expected to return in the near future. Scarlett Camberos was also out of the lineup for a similar reason.

The first half started off fairly even, with end-to-end action. Their first big scoring chance came when Alyssa Malonson found quite a bit of space on the left side of the pitch, but the cross went straight to the goalkeeper rather than the intended recipient.

Bay sustained offensive pressure for the next few minutes, with Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala attempting to create chances. They tested Seattle’s keeper, Claudia Dickey a few times but the game remained 0-0. In the 18th minute, Oshoala got through the defense and shot it just wide of the goal.

Bay also came out of the gate very aggressively, an early slide tackle set the mood for the rest of the half. Alex Loera earned back possession with a hard, but clean tackle. Kundananji had a similar tackle, but was called for a foul as it was a little off-target and caught the attacker’s legs rather than the ball. No card was shown on the play though.

In the 27th minute, Katelyn Rowland showed her sweeper-keeper ability coming into the middle third to clear out a ball despite it being swarmed by other players. It was a dangerous play, but it got the ball to safety. About a minute later though, disaster struck for Bay.

Despite having quite a strong start to the game, an own goal by Kayla Sharples put them down 1-0 on a very unfortunate play. In the 32nd minute, Deyna Castellanos had a strong chance from inside the box, but Dickey was able to tip it over the net and Bay got a corner kick as a result, but nothing would come from it.

In the 40th minute, Seattle got a strong scoring chance when Bethany Balcer nearly got in all alone with the goalkeeper, but a strong defensive effort by Malonson broke up the play and conceded a corner instead.

Shortly after, Bay got an opportunity of their own as Tess Boade got a shot off, that was saved by Dickey in the 41st minute. Despite Bay FC having a strong performance and outplaying their opposition in the first half, they walked out of the first half trailing 1-0.

Bay FC came out with intensity to start the second half, Oshoala had a quality scoring chance from just outside of the box just a minute into the half but it went just wide. In the 48th minute, Bay FC would score what seemed like an inevitable goal.

Sharples made up for her prior own goal, scoring a header off of an assist from Emily Menges. It was a rare situation where the center-backs combined to score a goal, It was Sharples’ second-ever NWSL goal and Menges’ first career assist. In the 54th minute, Seattle tried to answer back but their header went just wide of the goal, and the game remained tied at 1.

In the 57th, Bay FC led another strong attack, but the ball was tipped wide by the defense and it resulted in another corner opportunity. Although the corner itself didn’t lead to a goal, the ball found its way to Alex Loera who scored on a screamer of a shot to make it a quick 2-1 lead for Bay.

It was the first goal Loera had ever scored in the regular season, her only previous goals came during the playoffs. After the goal, Dickey received some attention from the trainer and had to leave the game, Laurel Ivory entered the game to take over in goal.

Bay FC continued their attacking pressure shortly after the goal but were unable to beat the keeper. In the 63rd minute, Malonson would be substituted for Savy King, who was playing her first career game outside of the starting lineup.

It would take until the 67th minute for Rowland to get tested in the second half, Olivia Athens got a shot off, but it was directly to Rowland. That marked Seattle’s first shot on target of the night. In the 71st minute, Rowland went down and required attention from the trainer as well.

During this time, Seattle made three substitutions to attempt to spark their offense. After a short delay, she remained in the game and immediately was forced to make her second save of the night.

In the 78th minute, Bay nearly put the game away as Oshoala found herself all alone with the keeper but the shot went just left of the goal. In the 81st minute, it seemed like Bay FC had put the game away when Boade found the back of the net, but the play was called offside.

A few minutes later, Seattle tied it up with a goal from Balcer and the mood instantly shifted in Paypal Park. It went from Bay FC putting the game away to a tied game over the course of just a couple of minutes.

However, in the 87th minute, things changed once again. Joelle Anderson’s shot was deflected by a defender into the back of the net which gave Bay FC a 3-2 lead with very little time remaining. It seemed like Seattle tied it up just a few moments later, but the play was called offside and it remained 3-2 in favor of the home team.

12 minutes of stoppage time were added, and Bay FC needed to find a way to hold on if they wanted to walk away with their first home win in franchise history. In the 92nd minute, Oshoala went down in the offensive third of the pitch and received some medical attention as well, which certainly added a little more time to the end of the game. She spent a moment on the sideline but quickly returned to action.

In the 94th minute, Oshoala was able to receive a breakout pass, putting her one-on-one with a defender who she got past and seemingly scored a goal but on the breakout it appeared that she grazed the ball with her hand and it was called back.

Eventually, she’d be substituted out as Bay went for a more defensive approach to end the game, and Jen Beattie entered the match. After stoppage time drew to a close, Bay FC walked away with their first ever home win, 3-2. It was an emotional night for the players, coaching staff and of course the fans. They’ll need to carry that energy into their next game as they look to build some momentum.

Bay FC loses in close battle to Washington 2-1 at Audi Field in DC

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Bay FC went all out against the Washington Spirit in a razor close game at Audi Field in Washington DC on Sat Mar 23, 2024 (Bay FC photo)

By William Espy

Bay FC visited the nation’s capital, Washington D.C, to take on the Washington Spirit at Audi Field. It was the home opener for the Spirit, who started their season in Seattle with a loss to the Seattle Reign and were looking to bounce back.

Bay FC on the other hand, started the season with a win against Angel City FC in Los Angeles. Their manager Albertin Montoya stuck with the 4-3-3 which worked well for them last time out, while Washington’s interim manager Adrian Gonzalez Morales countered with a 4-2-3-1 formation. The Spirit bounced back in with a one goal 2-1 win over Bay FC.

Bay FC Starting XI: Proulx, King, Beattie, Menges, Dydasco, Bailey, Anderson, Castellanos, Camberos, Blade, Oshoala

Washington Starting XI: Kingsbury, Krueger, Butel, McKeown, Carle, Hershfelt, Sullivan, Hatch, Bethune, Rodman, Sarr

Washington brought out quite a bit of pressure early, as they got a quality scoring chance less than a minute into the game. Bay FC would open the scoring though, as Dorian Bailey scored from the center of the box off of a pass from last game’s goal scorer Asisat Oshoala in the 11th minute.

Bailey spent five seasons with the Spirit before being acquired by Bay FC during the winter. Despite playing quite a few games with their organization, she was unable to score a goal in each of the last three seasons. Often regarded as a defender by the Spirit, Bailey is playing more of an offensive role with her new team. Oshoala almost scored one of her own in the 13th minute but hit the bar.

The former member of FC Barcelona has been a major contributor for Bay FC so far this season, and although she was unable to score in this game, she’s probably going to find the net more often than she misses this season.

Bay FC continued to apply pressure for the next ten minutes but were unable to extend their lead to two. After Scarlett Camberos was caught offside in the 21st minute, the Spirit started launching an attack which ended with a goal by Hal Hertshfelt from the right side of the box.

Trinity Rodman found her wide open, as she had been able to get behind Bay FC defender Savy King and Lysianne Proulx had no chance of saving the well-placed shot. It was Hershfelt’s first career NWSL goal in only her second career game, as she was selected by the Spirit in the first round of the 2024 draft.

For Bay FC, it was the first goal they had conceded since joining the league as well. Following the goal, momentum swung in Washington’s favor as they were able to maintain possession for the next few minutes and turned it into a couple more scoring chances.

Proulx faced a big test in the 34th minute, as Ouleymata Sarr took the ball from the defense in Washington’s offensive third of the pitch and got a shot off from just outside the box, as she has in most cases this season though, Proulx came through and made the save.

In the 36th minute, Casey Krueger collided with her teammate Hershfelt and went down with an apparent head injury. After a three-minute delay, she left the pitch under her own power and was eventually subbed off, with Anna Heilferty coming into the game. Due to the injury, officials would add six minutes of stoppage time but the game would head to halftime tied 1-1.

Neither team was able to get an advantage early in the second half, there was an occasional scoring chance but a lot of time was spent attempting to break through the defense on both ends. Bay in particular was maintaining considerable possession time, but were unable to get set up in the offensive third and were often regrouping in their own half of the pitch.

In the 58th minute, Deyna Castellanos took a hard foul after making contact with two Spirit players but would remain in the game. Just a few moments later, Rodman would be booked, the second yellow card of the game, the first was given to Camberos in the 48th minute.

Looking to break the tie, Washington took off their striker Sarr for Brittany Ratcliffe who had started in their two previous matches. In the 65th minute, Washington got the best opportunity of the half so far, when Croix Bethune hit the crossbar, if it were slightly lower it would’ve undoubtedly been the go-ahead goal.

In the 68th minute, Bay FC made their first substitution of the night as Jen Beattie was replaced by Alyssa Malonson on defense. At that point, momentum was certainly in the favor of the Spirit and Montoya hoped adding some energy to the backline could help settle things down a bit.

It did help, as Bay maintained possession in the offensive third a little more after the substitution, but the half was still scoreless when Rachel Hill replaced Cambreros in the 76th minute for Montoya’s second substitution of the night.

Injury struck again in the 83rd minute for the Spirit, as Rodman went down with apparent leg cramping and although she wanted to remain in the match, Courtney Brown took her spot for the remainder of the night.

Since Washington had used their three windows, they were done with substitutions for the night after Brown came on. In the 88th minute, Castellanos went down with an injury in the middle of play for Bay FC but she ended up remaining in the game.

The officials granted five minutes of stoppage time, and the game remained tied 1-1 after 90 minutes. That would change in the 95th though, as Bethune scored shortly after a set piece to give the Spirit a 2-1 lead and the victory. It was a heartbreaking first loss for Bay FC who could’ve easily walked away with a point on the road, but now they’ll look to bounce back in their home opener next weekend.

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