Bay FC Unable to Pull off the Comeback in Season's First Loss
NWSL Bay FC

Bay FC Unable to Pull off the Comeback in Season's First Loss

Published on March 21, 2026 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Bay FC News Release


SAN JOSE, CA - Bay FC fell 3-1 Saturday night to Angel City FC, its first defeat of the 2026 NWSL season. A pair of goals for the visitors before the break put Bay FC at an early disadvantage, but the club would get one back shortly after halftime off the foot of midfielder Taylor Huff. Forward Cristiana Girelli earned the start and her NWSL debut in the match, assisting Huff's goal and playing all 90 minutes.

"Football's football," said Head Coach Emma Coates. "You win some, you lose some. The world keeps turning. There [are] parts of the game that we didn't execute well enough today. We turned the ball over easily. We didn't quite shift quick enough out of possession. But there are glimpses that you start to see what we're capable of. The belief and the togetherness of the group is so important, and I'm sure that'll be that'll be on display in the way that we bounce back next week."

Angel City opened the scoring early, netting the first goal of the match just four minutes in. After recovering the ball in midfield, forward Kennedy Fuller played a long ball on to forward Sveindis Jónsdóttir, who won the footrace towards goal and put the ball over the line.

Bay FC nearly leveled on a pair of opportunities 20 minutes later. Huff tried her luck on a set piece just outside the penalty area at the 24-minute mark, only to see the effort blocked by the wall. Moments later, forward Karlie Lema intercepted a weak clearance while pressing high and tried her luck on her left foot but missed the target wide.

The visitors doubled their advantage just after the half hour mark. Getting out on the break from a throw in, Jonsdottir found defender Gisele Thompson crashing the back post for a one-touch finish. A third goal followed moments after halftime, with Jónsdóttir finding her second of the match.

Bay FC got on the board in the 56th minute, with Huff finding her first of the season. A sleek passing combination from Girelli, in the starting XI for her NWSL debut, put Huff inside the box with the ball at her feet to ping it off the post and in, also earning the Italian her first assist with her new club.

Bay FC heads out on the road in Week 3, visiting the North Carolina Courage Saturday, March 28 from First Horizon Stadium in Cary, N.C. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT. The match will be the club's debut with Victory+, the newly announced Official Streaming Partner of Bay FC. Victory+ is available for free on most major connected TVs and mobile streaming devices, including Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Hisense, iOS, LG, Roku, Samsung, Vidaa, and Amazon FireTV.

The club returns home for its Hello Kitty Match Sunday, April 5 against the Washington Spirit. Tickets are available for at BayFC.com/tickets

Bay FC v Angel City FC

March 21, 2026

PayPal Park, San Jose, Calif.

Kickoff: 5:47 p.m. PT

Weather: 77 degrees, clear

Attendance: 10,299

Discipline

BAY - Moreau (caution) 27'

LA - Jonsdottir (caution) 33'

LA - Gorden (caution) 84'

BAY - Collins (caution) 90+2'

BAY - Huff (caution) 90+5'

BAY - Huff (second caution and ejection) 90+7'

Scoring Summary

LA - Jonsdottir (Fuller) 4'

LA - Thompson (Jonsdottir) 32'

LA - Jonsdottir (Shores) 53'

BAY - Huff (Girelli) 56'

Goals 1 2 F

Bay FC 0 1 1

Angel City FC 2 1 3

Starting Lineups

Bay FC: Silkowitz, Moreau, Anderson (Hubly 78'), Courtnall (Denton 65'), Collins (C), Bebar, Hutton, Huff, Girelli, Lema (Barry 45'), Pfeiffer (Conti 65')

Unused Substitutes: Allen, Boade, Gamero, Bailey, Shepherd

Angel City FC: Anderson, King (Gorden 82'), Sams (C), Shores, Thompson, Martin, Borges, Niehues, Fuller (Laguyre 90+6'), Tiernan (Suarez 82'), Jonsdottir (Chilufya 90+1')

Unused Substitutes: Seabert, Mattice, Reed, Nugyen

Check out the Bay FC Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 21, 2026


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