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 …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
