Bay FC regained its scoring touch coming out of the five-week summer break, but its hopes of a breakthrough victory were thwarted by goals late in each half in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon.
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Claire Hutton and Karlie Lema scored early in the first half for San Jose, but Boston Legacy FC broke through during injury time before halftime, and then added the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 79th minute, and Bay FC ended up with a 2-2 draw at Centreville Bank Stadium.
Bay FC (3-6-3, 12 points) returned from the break in 13th place, six points out of the eighth and final NWSL playoff spot. Seattle and Houston are tied for 11th with 14 points.
The draw against Boston Legacy FC (2-7-4. 10 points), which trails Bay FC by two points in the standings, snapped a three-game losing streak. But San Jose is 0-3-3 since it’s 1-0 road victory over the league-leading San Diego Wave FC on May 3, which was part of the team’s 3-0-3 start.
Hutton’s successful penalty kick in the fifth minute and Lema’s goal in the 18th minute were encouraging signs for Bay FC, which had scored the second-fewest goals in the league (nine in 11 matches) heading into the league-wide break to accommodate international commitments.
Bay FC controlled the pace early and struck first when Alex Pfeiffer – playing in her first match with Bay FC since April 5 – drew a penalty in the box on Boston goalkeeper Casey Murphy. Hutton converted the penalty kick for her first-ever NWSL goal, giving Bay FC a 1-0 advantage in the fifth minute.
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Not long after that, Hutton led Lema down the pitch with a long pass, and Lema found the back of the net for her first score of the season.
Boston rallied three minutes into extra time off the foot of Amanda Santos, then Aissata Traore converted a penalty kick in the 78th minute. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their previous meeting on May 15 at PayPal Park.
San Jose has 18 regular-season games remaining to secure a playoff spot for the second time in the franchise’s three years of existence. Sunday’s match began a four-game stretch that includes three on the road, including Friday at Racing Louisville FC.
— The match saw the Bay FC debut of former Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller, who was acquired during the June transfer window.
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