San Jose – The new NWSL expansion Bay FC has a flair for the dramatics. In their first home win, Bay FC’s 3-2 victory over the Seattle Reign Sunday started with an own goal. Bay FC’s comeback with three second-half goals in the 104th minute. The final whistle blew as Bay FC notched their first home win in club history and, more importantly, first wins of the season.
“It’s so special to get the first home win, “Bay FC defender Kayla Sharples said. “I think we were all very disappointed not to get the win in the last home game (vs. Houston Dash on March 30th), but we’ve been working really hard.”
“We just continue getting better,” said Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya. “We’ve been focusing on the positives, let’s continue getting better, let’s make sure we can see the game out.”
Montoya jokingly, added of the dramatic endings to each of the four matches so far this season that if “we continue this way I’m not going to make it to the end of the season.”
Joelle Anderson’s goal in the 87th minute all but sealed the win for Bay FC had to claw back from an early one-goal deficit after an own goal by Sharples in the 27th minute.
Sharples made up for the own goal, tying the match at one goal apiece in the 46th minute, scoring off of a header following an early corner kick in the second half.
“Our team’s mentality coming into this game was that we may go down, but we’re going to find a way to get back,” Sharples said. “This team is so driven and obviated to put on a show for not only the league and our fans, but for ourselves and just to prove it to ourselves.”
Alex Loera’s highlight-worthy goal from distance in the 58th minute put Bay FC up 2-1 midway through the second half, however, Bay FC’s backline had another bad moment in the final 15 minutes, allowing Seattle to score the equalizer in the 83rd minute off a goal by Bethany Balcer to pull Seattle even at 2-2.
The win comes after the team had last week off for the FIFA international break, a week off that after a pair of disappointing, last-minute losses in at the Washington Spirit and against the Houston Dash, the team needed.
“This season is so long,” said Loera. “So, if we can get one or two consecutive days off just to relax mentally and fully check out and get back into it (is important).”
“After back-to-back losses, you do need a few days to mentally break just because we are a new club,” Sharples added. “We also want to just build something special, but when you start off in the way that we have, it’s kind of good to take a breather, scratch it, and now that’s behind us.”
Bay FC travels for the next two matches at the Kansas City Current and the San Diego Wave in the next two Saturdays before returning home against the Portland Thorns for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, May 1.
