WASHINGTON (March 28, 2024) — Bay FC (1-1-1, 4pts.) fell to the Washington Spirit (2-1-0, 6pts.) 2-0 Friday night at Audi Field, its first defeat of the 2025 season. Two goals in the first half by Washington’s Ashley Hatch ended as the lone scores of the contest, although Bay FC responded with a strong second half performance.
“It was I think a tale of two halves,” said Head Coach Albertin Montoya after the match. “First half, we started well in the first 10 minutes, possessing the ball and playing the way we wanted to play. And then credit to Washington, that’s why they’re such a good team, they made it difficult for us and got a couple goals. But in the second half we responded exactly as expected. We came out on the front foot, we created all sorts of problems for them and I thought we were actually the much better team.”
Both sides saw chances in the early goings. Bay FC had the first big chance of the match just five minutes in, when a set piece opportunity in the attacking third was served into the box by Taylor Huff. A partial clearance by Washington’s backline fell to the feet of Penelope Hocking in space but her shot went just wide of the target. Washington countered with their own dead ball chance in the 13th minute, when a header by Hatch was steered wide left of frame, before a deflected shot by Trinity Rodman nearly snuck inside the crossbar a minute later.
Washington opened the scoring just before the mid-way point of the first half. A cross from Leicy Santos was headed in by Hatch inside the penalty area for the first of two scores. Hatch put another in the back of the net to double Washington’s lead just three minutes later off a free kick cross served by Narumi Miura.
Changes to bolster the attack at the break made a quick impact for Bay FC out of halftime. Racheal Kundananji challenged Washington’s keeper a minute after entering the match at the start of the second half, but the attempt was swallowed up by the goalkeeper. The club thought they had cut the deficit in half at the hour mark, but Taylor Huff’s strike from distance was called back after a video review for a foul on Kundananji in transition.
Bay FC continued to pin back the hosts as the second half progressed, keeping Washington without as much as a single attempt at goal for the final 45 minutes. The visitors continued to challenge for a score – Kundananji and Karlie Lema came close to getting their club on the scoresheet shortly after the 70-minute mark, but each attempt narrowly missed the target. Asisat Oshoala nearly opened her 2025 scoring account in the 87th minute, but her tap-in on a cross from Huff was called back for offside.
Bay FC returns to action following the international break, when Chicago Stars FC visits PayPal Park Sunday, April 13. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT on ESPN. Bay FC will celebrate Women’s Empowerment Night, presented by Invisalign, with special pre-match programming and a bucket hat giveaway.
Washington Spirit v Bay FC
March 28, 2025
Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET
Weather: 67 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 12,140
Discipline
WAS – Santos (caution) 52′
WAS – Hatch (caution) 54′
WAS – Morgan (caution) 90+2′
Scoring Summary
WAS – Hatch (Santos) 24′
WAS – Hatch (Muira) 27′
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Washington Spirit | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bay FC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Starting Lineups
Washington Spirit: Kingsbury (GK) (C), Krueger, McKeown, Carle (Stainbrook 78′), Morgan, Bernal, Miura (Sylla 90+7′), Santos (Detrizio 90+7′), Rodman (Ratcliffe 64′), Morris (Ricketts 79′), Hatch
Unused Substitutes: MacIver, Brown, Dulaney, Boade
Bay FC: Silkowitz (GK), Malonson, Anderson, Dahlkemper (C), Dydasco, Boade, Pickett, Huff, Hill (Kundananji 45′), Oshoala, Hocking (Lema 45′)
Unused Substitutes: Lowder, Menges, Hubly, Shepherd, Conti, Bailey, Moreau
