Bay FC beaten by Kansas City’s last-minute goal in 2-1 NWSL loss

Kansas City’s Rocky Rodriguez boomed a left-footed strike from the top of the box that found the net with a minute left in regulation to send Bay FC to a disappointing 2-1 loss Friday night.

Bay FC (6-12-4) dropped its second straight match despite a strong showing at PayPal Park, highlighted by Karlie Lema’s game-tying goal mere seconds before halftime.

“I thought we did a great job to get a goal back in the first half and get ourselves back in at 1-1,” said head coach Emma Coates. “It’s just as I say, disappointing to concede later on again.”

A pair of saves by Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz, including a stellar leaping effort to deny a shot from distance in the 78th minute, kept the match tied heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Bay forward Racheal Kundananji entered as a second-half substitute and nearly put her club ahead, but an 83rd minute chance was blocked after the Zambian cut inside from the left. Midfielder Hannah Bebar missed just high on a volley towards goal with four minutes to go as the club mounted a spell of late attacking pressure.

Kansas City, though, pulled ahead with a minute to go as substitute Rocky Rodriguez netted a go-ahead score in the 89th minute. A long-distance effort went past the outstretched dive of Silkowitz in goal and into the back of the net.

Rodriguez’s winning goal was set up by Croix Bethune’s pass to her at the top of the box. It was Bethune’s club-record tying 10th assist of season, matching her assist total in 2024.

Kansas City (11-8-4) opened the scoring in the 11th minute when midfielder Izzy Rodriguez put her club ahead direct from a corner kick.

Lema’s late first half efforts enabled Bay to level the match just before the halftime whistle. Lema scored her sixth goal of the season on a sequence that began with a ball played in by forward Cristiana Girelli. Her ball set Pfeiffer up one-on-one with goalkeeper Marisa Jordan, but her attempt blocked by a sliding effort. The rebound fell straight to Lema, who put the ball in the back of the net with her first touch.

Bay FC kicks off a busy stretch of three matches in eight days next Saturday with a road match against Seattle Reign FC at 5 p.m.