NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls Short in Home Opener

Published on March 17, 2024 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City fell 0-1 today in their season opener against new expansion side Bay FC, following a goal by forward Asisat Oshoala. A crowd of 22,000 attended the game, marking the third club's third sold-out season opener.

The home team came close in the 7th minute when midfielder Kennedy Fuller recovered the ball deep in midfield and sent a long forward pass to forward Alyssa Thompson. Thompson drove into the box, dribbled past her mark, and put a shot on target, which was blocked by goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx. Two follow-up shots, by Fuller and forward Claire Emslie, also failed to find their mark. That multi-shot scramble was to be the first in a series of frustrating near-misses by ACFC.

After Angel City dominated the game over the first 10 minutes, Bay FC found some momentum. They notched the lone goal of the game when forward Tess Boade intercepted a pass by Angel City defender MA Vignola and tapped a short through pass to forward Asisat Oshoala in the 18, who took a step and sent a hard strike into the top of the net.

The next chance for either team came in the 29th minute, when Bay midfielder Deyna Castellanos dribbled into the left side of the penalty area and took an angled shot at the near post- but it was a routine save for goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.

Angel City had another chance in the 35th minute when Fuller received a diagonal pass from the midfield, dribbled into the left side of the goal area, and sent a sideways pass in for midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, who put her shot on target, but Proulx saved.

The momentum stayed in LA's favor over the final 10 minutes of the half, with midfielder Amandine Henry and defender Ali Riley each getting shots on target, but the team wasn't able to put one away before the break.

Angel City stayed on the front foot heading into the second half, with Dougherty Howard getting another look in the 47th minute off a cross from Emslie. They came within inches of scoring again in the 50th minute when Emslie received a pass into the 18 from Thompson and dropped the ball back to Dougherty Howard as she made a late run. Dougherty Howard again put her shot on frame, with Proulx again saving.

Bay came close to a second in the 58th minute when Boade crashed the box, intercepting a pass to get one-on-one with Anderson- but the keeper did well to close the angle and block Boade's low shot.

ACFC came close repeatedly in the last 20 minutes of the match, forcing several narrow goal-line saves by Bay defenders.

In the 70th minute, Emslie sent in a cross from the left that took a high bounce off a Bay defender and fell to forward Sydney Leroux. The veteran striker put a looping header on target, which Proulx impressively blocked; the ball fell to Thompson, who sent a shot over the crossbar.

The next near miss for the home side came in the 89th minute, when forward Messiah Bright dribbled into the box and sent in an angled shot, which took a deflection off of Leroux, bouncing into Proulx and back off the forward before landing on frame- but defender Caprice Dydasco arrived just in time to make the stop.

Angel City had one final look in stoppage time, when defender Merritt Mathias sent a ball over the top for Vignola, whose shot from the left side of the area hit the crossbar.

The match was Mathias's first match in an Angel City uniform, as the veteran right back had to sit out all of 2023 with injury. It also saw the professional debut of two of ACFC's U-18 signings, Kennedy Fuller and defender Gisele Thompson.

Angel City plays next on Friday, March 22 at 5:00 PM PST, on the road against Orlando in their first appearance on Prime Video.

ACFC Milestones

17 year old, Kennedy Fuller made her NWSL debut as the youngest player to appear in a match in Angel City history.

Defender Gisele Thompson made her NWSL debut in the 82' minute of tonight's match.

Merritt Mathias made her return to the NWSL after a 2023 season ending injury, appearing in the 78'.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Defender and Team Captain, Ali Riley

On positive takeaways from tonight's home opener:

"We did change some things and got a lot better after probably the first 35 minutes. We did have chances, but I also have to shout out Sarah [Gorden] and Paige [Nielsen]. Asisat Oshala is a top nine in the world and they really shut her down."

"The goal we essentially gifted them is something that we know we have to be focused in our build out from goal kicks every single moment in the NWSL. You have to be switched on but other than that, you saw some really top defensive skill tonight from our center backs."

On Kennedy Fuller's NWSL Debut:

"She was great. I forget that she's so young because I think she fits in so well. She deserved that start. She is so good for her age and it's incredible to be on the field with such young players. To know how much opportunity lies ahead of her, how long her career will be, and how different her experience will be as a professional than we had when we started. It makes me really proud."

"She came into a league where there are three teams in California. That's not something that I can say that I had. I'm really, really proud of her. I know she's so close with her family and they were able to be at the game tonight. I look forward to seeing her continue to develop. She was close to putting it in the back of the net."

ACFC Defender and Vice-Captain, Sarah Gorden

On positive takeaways from tonight:

"There were a lot of positive takeaways. It sucks to lose your home opener. It's not how you want to start the season, but there were definitely a lot of positive takeaways. In the second half, we created a lot of good chances and moved the ball well. Ultimately, it didn't go our way today. This is NWSL, that's how it goes sometimes. We are proud of where we can take this season. We have room to grow, but there are a lot of positive takeaways from tonight."

On advice she gave Kennedy Fuller before her NWSL debut:

"I didn't necessarily give her any advice. I just wanted to make sure she was good before the game. I'm so impressed by how composed she's been through it all. Like Ali [Riley] said, I would never guess she's 17 years old. Super impressed and proud of her and I'm excited to see where her career goes."

ACFC Midfielder, Kennedy Fuller

On her NWSL Debut tonight:

"It was awesome. Being able to play with that group of girls was just the best way I could have done it. Being able to start it off at a place like BMO with the incredible fans that they have is just awesome."

On Ali Riley's advice before the game:

"Be yourself. That was the advice that the entire team, throughout this staff said, to just be yourself. They told me I wouldn't be here without having that special quality. And I think being able to hear that from some of the people that I've looked up to and I respect most is very cool."

On decision to go pro.

"It was difficult. I think UNC was an amazing place, and I still feel like this is my home. Being able to tell them was probably one of the hardest parts. They've supported me and had confidence in me throughout everything and again, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think it was a place for me to grow and I'd feel comfortable. There's nothing bad to say about this team."

I think just the timing, and how welcome I feel. I don't feel out of place at all. They want me to be here and that's something that I've really enjoyed feeling. They want me to be here and feel the joy, and I enjoy being here and all the support."

ACFC Head Coach Becki Tweed

On the match overall:

"It was the most NWSL football game I've seen, and that happens. We knew the longer the half went on, the harder it was going to be, but we believed in ourselves the entire time. You could see that all the way to the final whistle. We all get caught up acting like the first game is the end all be all for the rest of the season, but it's game one of a very long season. We have to use this game as a huge learning point and a huge momentum shift for us."

On facing Asisat Oshoala for the first time and the defensive posture in the game:

"Building off last season, we want to be defensively solid. We had really good moments, they've dealt with her really well. It's a brilliant signing for this league, which is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of defenders. Outside the goal, we defended her really well. We defended the space behind really well and didn't really cause as many problems, honestly. But again, it's football you give it one chance you can lose the game and I think that's what happened to us today."

On why it took them awhile to get into a rhythm in the first half:

"[It was] the first game in Bay FC's history. We thought they were going to come out at us and they didn't. They actually sat off of us, but we played like they came out at us and that mentality was a little bit naive of me. They just didn't do what we thought they were going to do."

"That took us about 34 minutes to figure it out. I also think, when I look at us and what we've done in preseason, we didn't do that for the first 34 minutes and it took us a while to settle into the game. When you're in preseason you work on yourself and you build on your identity. We came out not knowing where we were going to be and as we built into it, we saw how much more confident we got. Now I can walk away feeling like we can be really good with that final piece."

On Kennedy Fuller's future:

"We have to manage her. She is so young and we have to look after her and she's still got a really high ceiling and so much room to grow. We have to look after her. It's one game and this season, in the NWSL, it's long. It's not like there's off weeks.

"She also plays international football and we want to encourage that. I think that adds to your growth and we just have to manage her and how she's going to develop in your first year as a pro is always hard. You learn a lot about yourself but she's in a great place. This team is brilliant with the younger players and they want to help them grow and I think that she will continue to grow as it goes on."

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