A first-half goal by Bay FC winger Racheal Kundananji was offset by a second-half goal from Seattle Reign’s Jordyn Huitema in a game that ended in a deserved 1-1 draw for both teams.
“Overall, we’ve got to be happy, we got a good point against an excellent team,” said Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya after the match.
Here’s what we learned from the game:
Kundananji’s well-deserved strike fortells more goals for BFC
The one big omission in Racheal Kundananji’s stat sheet to start her second Bay FC season was putting a ball into the back of the net. Despite performing well on the field, helping out with the BFC attack and defense, she had not yet scored in 2025.
She took care of that in the 32nd minute with a vintage Kundananji strike.
“This goal builds my confidence, going five games without scoring as a striker, that’s a lot,” she explained after the game.
The attack started when BFC centerback Abby Dahlkemper looped a pass right up the middle of the field to forward Caroline Conti at the center of the pitch. Conti controlled the ball and then slotted a well-timed pass that Kundananji could run onto. She fought off Reign defender Jordan Bugg for a bit of space and then placed her shot past Seattle keeper Claudia Dickey’s reach onto the far post. The ball hit the far post, went square across the mouth of the goal, hit the near post, and then into the net for a 1-0 lead, which sent the 11,564 BFC fans at PayPal Park into delirium.
With her first goal in the books, Kundananji’s confidence is growing.
“Now I’ve scored, and I’m looking forward to score more and also assist more goals,” said Kundananji.
Montoya concurred with Rachael’s assessment.
“I think this is kind of just what is exactly what [Kundananji] needed, because she’s been pushing for it,” said Montoya after the game.
Bay FC found their goalkeeper
Coming into the season, there were question marks about who would be the team’s first-choice goalkeeper. Heading into the preseason, it was felt that Bay FC’s first-year goalie, Katelyn Rowland, would be back in the net. However, Rowland decided to retire during the preseason, leaving the job available to backup Jordan Silkowitz.
“We knew she could be a number one in this league with her athleticism and work ethic,” said Montoya. “She’s got really good qualities that complements the way we want to play.”
Silkowitz, who plied her trade in college for Ohio State and Iowa State, was drafted by the Kansas City Current in 2023. She never played for the Current, but they did loan her out to the Australian side, Brisbane Roar, where she made eighteen appearances during their 2023-24 season.
Last August, Bay FC traded for Silkowitz and showed their commitment to her by signing a two-year extension.
“The best thing for coach is to feel confident about their goalkeeper and your back line, and that’s exactly how the team feels,” noted Montoya. “They know that she’s going to help us in every single way back there.”
Although Silkowitz started her first BFC season a little tentatively, she has grown into her position and showed off her talent on Saturday night against Seattle.
“I think each game, you get more comfortable learning this environment, learning the opponents you play,” explained Silkowitz.
During the first half, she handled the visiting side’s ball pressure, distributing the ball to her teammates and soaking up any attacks.
Silkowitz’s moment-of-the-match happened in the 31st minute when she stonewalled an attempted shot by the Reign’s Jordyn Huitema after a bad giveaway by Bay center back Joelle Anderson, allowing Huitema to go in one-on-one with the Bay FC keeper.
Huitema attempted to dribble past Silkowitz, but the keeper stayed on her feet and dived to block her shot on goal. It ended up being a huge save, especially when Kundananji was able to convert her shot a few minutes later.
“Good keepers make the saves, they’re supposed to,” added Montoya. “Great keepers make those challenging saves, and great goalkeepers also help us win games.”
Bay FC has found a keeper for their goalie, and Silkowitz’s quick and continued growth portends even greater results for her team as long as she remains between the posts.
BFC earn a point they probably lose last year
Last year, in Bay FC’s inaugural NWSL campaign, the club bled away many points it could’ve earned. The early deficit from conceding games and points forced BFC to put together an impressive run to even make the playoffs.
This year, Montoya has set a goal for his team to be a top-four club in the NWSL. That requires not only scoring goals but also keeping clean sheets and earning points in every way possible.
After seeing the results through the first six games this year, Bay’s head coach feels that the team is ready to make that leap, noting how the team responded after a poor showing against the Chicago Stars at home a few weeks ago by earning a win at North Carolina.
“[The team is] locked in, and they knew that it was just a matter of getting right back on track, bringing out the right energy, getting the game plan, and executing,” said Montoya. “So we expect now to get a point against every single team. That’s their mentality, and it takes time to do that.”
BFC currently sit in the eighth and final playoff position. If they had not lost against Chicago two weeks ago they would have 11 points and be level in the standings with fourth place Gotham FC.
Next up the team will travel to San Diego, to take on the 5th place Wave FC next Sunday, May 4th.
