‘Hands down our best performance’: Bay FC’s defense rises to occasion in win over Angel City

SAN JOSE – Bay FC’s defense is finally coming together, and as a result the team is squarely in the playoff hunt in the middle of its inaugural NWSL season.

Bay FC (5-9-0) shut out Angel City 1-0 Saturday night at PayPal Park to move into a four-way tie for eighth place. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

After giving up 19 goals in its first eight games, the team has allowed just six goals in its past six games.

“We don’t want to throw out we’re a new team, an expansion team, but the reality is we are,” goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland said. “And it takes a little bit of time to gain chemistry, and you’ve seen pieces of it all year and finally the consistency is leveling out and it’s really cool to see.”

Rowland only needed to make one save Saturday night, but it was as challenging as it comes – she stopped a shot by World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist Sydney Leroux from inside the six-yard box in the 15th minute. That would be the only shot on goal for Angel City (4-7-3), though Rocky Rodriguez hit the crossbar from 16 yards out in the 29th minute.

“People underestimate time,” Rowland said. “It takes time to build consistency, to build style of play. If you look at our roster, there’s talent, but it takes time to mesh together. We’ve been trucking along, and I don’t think tonight was a perfect performance but tonight was hands down our best performance and our most complete performance and it’s about time for us because it’s been a long time coming.”

Bay FC has benefitted from a change in the net. Rowland was making her seventh straight start and showed a commanding presence in the box, particularly on crosses.

The team also got strong performances Saturday from centerbacks Emily Menges and Jen Beattie.

In the first half, Menges became the ninth player in league history to reach 15,000 minutes, and she also recorded her third career assist. The 5-foot-7 Long Island native played with Portland from 2014-23, winning NWSL titles in 2017 and 2022.

“She’s an ironwoman,” coach Albertin Montoya said. “It’s incredible when you look at her – she’s not the most physically imposing player, and I joke around with our staff, how does she get it done every single game? She chases people down, wins headballs, makes tackles. She’s such a fierce competitor, and that’s why she’s gotten 15,000 minutes. She just wills herself to be the best out there.”

Beattie, a Scottish international who came from the English club Arsenal, struggled to adjust to the pace of the NWSL earlier in the season. But making her fourth start because Caprice Dydasco was rested, Beattie showed comfort on the ball and the ability to defend 1-on-1.

Bay FC also shut out Angel City 1-0 in Los Angeles in its first-ever game, but that was somewhat fluky. Angel City had 21 shots in the season opener, including 14 from inside the box. At PayPal, Bay FC held Angel City to 8 shots (all inside the box).

“First time around we were very fortunate, the soccer gods were with us, and that’s how football goes,” Montoya said. “But today was a very different performance. It just shows how much we’ve improved.”

After giving up multiple goals in seven of its first eight matches, Bay FC has allowed multiple goals in just one of the last six matches.

“Tenacity, focus, determination, mentality across the board has been so good,” Rowland said. “I’m happy we got a shutout because the work’s been put in day in and day out.”

The work on defense has been critical to moving up in the standings, since the offense had been shut out in three of its previous five games. On Saturday it got the goal it needed from Tess Boade in the 33rd minute.

Dorian Bailey, making her first start since May 1, split two defenders with a through ball down the right side that allowed Menges to get behind the defense. Menges sent a cross that was directed into the far corner by Boade, who became the first player in club history to score three goals.

The game ended with chants of “Beat L.A.” coming from the crowd of 15,640. The teams will play again on July 26 at PayPal Park in the NWSLxLiga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

“I prefer goals, you know that,” Montoya said. “It’s more entertaining for the fans. If I’m watching just for the enjoyment of it, I want to see a 5-4 game, why not? As a coach it can be a little tough on the heart, but I don’t mind that. But I have to say, all joking aside, having a shutout says a lot about your team. The way we started the season, we’re having the right mindset and closing out games against an excellent team. This shutout feels very special.”

Bay FC continues its NWSL campaign Saturday afternoon at Louisville, another team tied for eighth in the standings, in a game broadcast nationally by ESPN. Bay FC seeks its first-ever winning streak but must play without top striker Rachael Kundananji, who will be suspended for yellow-card accumulation after being booked in the 85th minute against Angel City.

“We’ve been plugging away and we won our first series,” Montoya said. “Now we’re going to ask for consistency, because we know we can put performances like this together, so let’s put another one in.”