NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
April 14 – On Sunday, Bay FC lost its second straight match against the Chicago Stars 2-1. This was the Star’s first win, thanks to Ludmila’s two goals in the first half. Her first goal in the 5th minute was her first of the season.
The defense struggled in the first half and had their worst performance thus far. Coach Albertin Montoya agreed the team did not put their best product on the field, even though they did well in their two weeks of practice.
“We played some decent football but we were having some hard times there attacking in the first half. Second half we came out with a lot more energy and we were creating chances. Gotta give credit to Chicago – this is this league. Anyone at any given point in time can come out and give a great performance and they did.”
Although Bay FC made a few substitutions at halftime (Joelle Anderson at center back replacing Emily Menges and Caroline Conti at forward replacing Asisat Oshoala), they could not score another goal for the tie.
Ludmila’s first goal was under a lengthy VAR review for a possible offside call, which was removed after review. She continued to attack the defense throughout the half and at the 41st minute, Ludmila beat her defender inside the box and scored her second goal.
Bay FC played with a different energy in the second half and were more aggressive on offense. Caroline Conti and Rachel Kundananji were pushing for a goal, and in the 58th minute, Kundananji attempted a pass that was deflected and a handball foul by No. 77.
Conti scored her first career goal against the gold-medal-winning goalie Alyssa Naeher, even though she guessed the left side of the net. Coach Montoya said when it comes to PKs, ‘no one is better than her’ (Conti).
Although Bay FC possessed the ball for 68% of the match, they were unable to get many shots on goal. They finished with three while the Stars had six.
So far, this roster has shown their defensive strengths, thanks to Anderson and Abby Dahlkemper controlling the backline, and it will only be a matter of time until the offense starts to build a shooting streak.
Bay FC will head to the East Coast this weekend to face the Carolina Courage who have also not won a game this season. The match will be broadcast on NWSL+ and NBC Sports Bay Area+ on Saturday, April 19 at 4 pm PT.
