Two weeks after helping Florida State shut out Stanford in the NCAA Women’s College Cup final, Heather Gilchrist is headed to the Bay Area to help fortify the Bay FC defensive line.
Gilchrist, a two-time All-American, signed a three-year contract with Bay FC, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club announced on Tuesday.
“I am so excited to be starting my professional career at Bay FC,” Gilchrist said in a release issued by Bay FC. “The vision, support, and culture at Bay is special, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of it. I can’t wait to grow in this environment as a player and person and play in front all the incredible fans of the Bay Area.”
Gilchrist won two national championships in four seasons with the Seminoles, both against the Cardinal. Florida State edged Stanford 1-0 earlier this month in Kansas City, and won 5-1 in the 2023 national championship game.
The arrival of Gilchrist is just part of a new-look Bay FC squad that will open the 2026 season in March.
Bay FC went 11-1-14 and reached the NWSL quarterfinals as an expansion club in 2024, but last season missed the playoffs, finishing 13th in the 14-team league with a 4-8-14 record.
Less than a week before Gilchrist’s Seminoles completed their title run, Bay FC announced Emma Coates, a former Leeds United player and the manager of the U-23 Lionesses since 2023, as the successor to Albertin Montoya, who managed Bay during its first two seasons. Bay FC is also still searching for a replacement for Brady Stewart, its founding CEO who departed in September.
“Bringing Heather to Bay FC is an important signing for us,” Bay FC head coach Emma Coates said in the team release. “She is a composed and competitive defender. She fits exactly what we’re building at Bay FC and we’re excited about the impact she’ll have.”
Gilchrist helped Florida State reach the College Cup three times. One of her teammates from 2023-24 was current Bay FC midfielder Taylor Huff. In 2023, the pair helped the Seminoles cap an undefeated season with their rout of Stanford in the College Cup final.
This postseason, Gilchrist helped Florida State to four shutouts in six matches and provided one of the team’s most important goals of the season. The defender only scored four times during the season, but she provided the lone goal in FSU’s 1-0 second round win over Lipscomb.
Gilchrist represented the United States at the 2024 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, starting in five of the six games as the Americans finished third in the tournament.
