A pair of first-half goals gave Bay FC a comfortable cushion to win their home opener over Racing Lousiville at PayPal Park on Saturday night.
“It’s a great win. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to – playing at home,” said Bay FC Head Coach Albertin Montoya after the match.
From the opening tip, Bay FC controlled possession and was rewarded in the 12th minute with a free-kick opportunity. Bay’s Taylor Huff lofted a ball into the box that was only partially cleared by the Louisville defense to the feet of Bay defender Joelle Anderson, who powered her shot past goalkeeper Katie Lund and into the back of the net.
Bay continued to hold off Louisville for the remainder of the half and got a well-deserved second goal in first-half stoppage time, thanks to rookie Karlie Lema.
Racing had a free kick that was well-defended by Bay FC. It popped out to Louisville’s Ella Hase, who could not control the bouncing ball before Lema stormed out of the box and took the ball off Hase’s feet. She sprinted across the field, dribbling the ball undefended, and ended up one-on-one with the Louisville keeper.
From a distance, Lema stepped into the shot and booted it into the top right corner past the outstretched Lund for a wonder goal.
Louisville had several opportunities in the second half to get a goal back, but rookie Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz was up to the task.
Afterwards, Montoya was happy with the result and the support from the home fans.
“We have what I consider the best fans in the league, and it just gives our players that extra energy and excitement of just being unpredictable, and enjoying themselves in the attacking third and creating things and they just continue to work,” said Montoya. “We’ve come together, and we’re understanding each other really well on the field, with great chemistry.”
Bay FC’s next game is a trip across the country on Friday night to face the Washington Spirit.