Bay FC (3-3-2) tied Boston Legacy FC (2-5-3) in a physical Friday night battle at PayPal Park in San José, 1-1.
Bay FC came out aggressive early in the game, with forwards Racheal Kundananji and Karlie Lema creating opportunities around the box with 5 shots on goal between the two in the first half.
Head coach Emma Coates said she thought the team took control of the game early despite not being able to finish its open chances.
“I think the things that we work on in training you can see, and as we are still building connections and confidence,” Coates said. “I’m sure it will click soon.”
Though the team wasn’t able to score in the first half, its ability to put pressure on the Boston defense gave Bay FC momentum and kept the fans on the edge of their seats with every shot.
The game started to get chippy when Boston FC defender Bianca St-Georges was sent off with a red card in the 42nd minute after committing a foul against Bay FC midfielder Claire Hutton, leaving Boston down a player for the rest of the game.
Hutton reflected on the team’s mentality entering the match.
“We knew coming into this it was gonna be a physical game, and it’s about how we can come together as a team,” Hutton said.
Bay FC’s defense only allowed one shot on goal during the first half while simultaneously forcing turnovers that gave its offense great chances in the open field to score.
Just five minutes into the second half, Boston sent the ball out of play, turning the ball over to Bay FC. Defender Sydney Collins quickly took the throw-in, catching Boston out of position.
Midfielder Dorian Bailey played a quick pass to Lema, who fed it right back to Bailey, where she scored on a left-footed shot to the bottom-right corner of the box.
Bailey praised Lema’s awareness and passing in the buildup.
“I saw Karlie (Lema) kinda through a seam, so I one-touch passed it to Karlie, and she was able to play it back to me in a really nice pocket of space,” Bailey said. “She made it easy for me, all I had to do was finish it.”
The physical play continued through the game as Bay FC goalie Jordan Silkowitz was called for a reckless foul when she collided with forward Aïssata Traoré, leading to a penalty kick for Boston FC.
Forward Amanda Gutierres sank the penalty kick into the bottom left of the net, helping Boston tie the game at 1 goal apiece.
After multiple fouls were called on Bay FC, the home crowd of 12,533 began chanting “Ref, you suck!” towards the officials.
Bay FC had multiple chances to score in the final minutes of the game but failed to capitalize on its opportunities.
The team finished the game with 9 shots on goal compared to Boston FC’s 2, while also holding 57% possession despite the tie.
Coates pointed to Bay FC’s unbeaten streak as a positive takeaway.
“I think the positive is we’ve now gone three games unbeaten. I think for this group that’s massive,” Coates said. “I think you can see the areas that we’re working really hard on and the progress that we’re making.”
Bay FC is scheduled to take on Portland Thorns in its next game Wednesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
