What we learned from the first regular-season match between San Diego and Bay FC

Photo Copyright Abe Arredondo for USA TODAY Sports

As one of the National Women’s Soccer League‘s newest expansion sides, Bay FC wants to make its presence known. And what better place to start than California, where they are the league’s third club from the Sunshine State?

Bay won its first match against Angel City FC in Week 1 and got its first regular-season shot at San Diego Wave FC this weekend. Though Bay fell 2-1 in the latter, the club is holding steady in the middle of the table six games into the season. Just one point behind both in-state competitors.

Preparing for the game

In their inaugural season, Bay FC has scored a total of 10 goals with defender Kayla Sharples being a key force scoring in back-to-back matches. As the only player to have scored multiple goals for Bay in the opening weeks, Sharples’ positioning has guided the team through their highs and lows.

Coming into the game against the Wave, Bay coach Albertin Montoya wanted his team to focus on developing a defensive mindset as his staff also analyzed ways to make sure his team would be in a position to succeed.

Although this game marked the first SoCal vs NoCal game of the regular season for the two sides, both teams previously played against each other in the inaugural 2024 Coachella Valley Invitational during preseason where the Wave also recorded a 2-1 win.