San Jose – Bay FC had not played a match since June 21, a 2-1 loss to Gotham FC in New Jersey, which left the club three points below the playoff line.
A month-long break, coinciding with the UEFA Women’s Euros, may have come at just the right time.
On Saturday afternoon, Bay FC (4-3-6, 15 points) faced Southern California rival Angel City FC in a 1-1 draw during a friendly at PayPal Park. The match served as a tune-up ahead of the regular-season restart on Aug. 2, when Bay FC will host the Houston Dash.
“We enjoyed our football out here today,” Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya said. “I told the team afterward that I was like a fan on the sideline. We were coaching, but we were enjoying watching them play.”
Penelope Hocking netted Bay FC’s only goal, delivering a highlight-reel finish off a cross from second-half substitute Maddie Moreau. Hocking connected on her first touch, driving the ball into the back of the net early in the second half to level the match at 1-1.
“It was a great finish,” said Moreau.
She added of the rivalry with the Los Angeles-based side: “We don’t really like Angel City very much. But they bring out the best in us.”
Angel City’s Jun Endo opened the scoring midway through the first half, slipping past Bay FC’s backline and slotting a shot past goalkeeper Emmie Allen to the far post.
The return to live action, even in a friendly, comes as Bay FC begins the second half of the season winless in three of their last four regular-season matches, with their only victory a 1-0 win over the Portland Thorns on June 7.
Despite the team’s recent struggles to collect points and rise above the playoff line, Montoya remains confident in Bay FC’s postseason prospects.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” he explained. “(The first half) wasn’t necessarily what we wanted, point-wise. We’ve been a little bit unfortunate — just like the goal we gave up today.
“This break actually came at a good time, because we were able to take a step back and say, ‘Hey, let’s forget about everything that’s happened and continue moving forward and play the way we are playing.’ We haven’t had the breaks, but we’ll get them, and we’re going to get that in the second half.”
Photo by Bay FC
