Bay FC Falls, 2-0, to Utah Royals at PayPal Park
NWSL Bay FC

Bay FC Falls, 2-0, to Utah Royals at PayPal Park

Published on September 27, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Bay FC News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. - Bay FC fell 2-0 to Utah Royals Saturday night at PayPal Park bringing an end to the club's two-match unbeaten streak. A pair of first half scores by the visitors put Bay FC down heading into the break, and the scoreline would hold until the final whistle.

"I have to give Utah a lot of credit, they were clinical in those two chances they had and that was tough for us," said Head Coach Albertin Montoya. "But the team played with so much heart and desire. It's so easy to give up in games like this when so many things are going against you, and I give them so much credit because I adore this group. They fight to the end and that's very impressive."

Bay FC nearly scored in the opening minute, as defensive pressure by midfielder Dorian Bailey in the midfield forced a Utah turnover just after kickoff. An errant ball played towards the visitors' backline was intercepted by forward Karlie Lema charging towards goal, but her attempt toward the left post was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.

Utah answered Bay FC's early pressure with the game's first goal in the 9th minute. After the visitors played out of traffic, forward Paige Monaghan found defender Janni Thomsen on the right flank to put it over the line at the far post. Utah doubled its advantage just after the midway point of the first half, when Royals forward Aisha Solorzano put a second chance opportunity through after recovering a blocked clearance inside the box.

Utah nearly added a third coming out of the break. After taking possession in Bay FC's defensive third, a ball played across the face of goal looked to be a threat, but strong work by defenders Sydney Collins and Caprice Dydasco to hold their ground prevented an attacker from getting on the end of the chance. Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji got out on the counter from the restart, but was whistled for a foul after a tackle by a defender dispelled the threat.

Bay FC came close to cutting the deficit in half before the hour mark. A header steered at frame by defender Alyssa Malonson looked to give Utah trouble in traffic, but a leaping effort by Utah goalkeeper Mia Justus cleared the ball off the line to deny the chance.

Changes after the hour mark gave Bay FC energy on the attacking end. A well-manufactured chance saw the hosts threaten on a pair of balls played from the flank, but each would be cleared away. Forward Penelope Hocking made her return in the second half, seeing her first action since Aug. 10 at Chicago, and tallied one shot on target across 24 minutes off the bench.

Bay FC sets out on the road next weekend for the first of two straight away matches. The club heads to the Pacific Northwest to face off with Portland Thorns FC from Providence Park Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and the match will broadcast on ION as the nightcap of the network's NWSL doubleheader. Bay FC returns home for its final home match of the 2025 season Friday, Oct. 17, when the North Carolina Courage visit the Bay Area on Fan Appreciation Night at PayPal Park.

Bay FC v Utah Royals

September 27, 2025

PayPal Park, San Jose, Calif.

Kickoff: 7:05 p.m.

Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy

Attendance: 10,798

Discipline

UTA - Solorzano (caution) 13'

BAY - Pickett (caution) 25'

UTA - Tejada (caution) 39'

BAY - Montoya (caution) 56'

BAY - Kundananji (caution) 78'

BAY - Goodson (caution) 80'

UTA - Justus (caution) 82'

Scoring Summary

UTA - Thomsen (Monaghan) 9'

UTA - Solorzano 18'

Goals 1 2 F

Bay FC 0 0 0

Utah Royals 2 0 2

Starting Lineups

Bay FC: Silkowitz, Malonson, Courtnall, Collins, Dydasco, Pickett (Bebar 66'), Bailey (Moreau 88'), Huff, Kundananji, Hill (C) (Hocking 66'), Lema (Boade 66')

Unused Substitutes: Allen, Shepherd, Hubly, Paulson, Anderson,

Utah Royals: Justus, Riehl, Zornoza, Thomsen, Del Fava, Pogarch (Dorsey 83'), Lacasse (Mozingo 83'), Tanaka, Solorzano (Prasnikar 54'), Tejada (Nagai 54'), Monaghan (C) (St. Georges 75')

Unused Substitutes: McGlynn, Flynn, Ream, Foederer

Check out the Bay FC Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 27, 2025


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