Bay FC entered their game against the Portland Thorns eliminated from the NWSL Playoffs and playing only for pride. Despite several regular starters, including Claire Hutton, being out with injury, Bay took a second-half lead before conceding a late tying goal to draw the Thorns 2-2 at PayPal Park on Sunday afternoon.
“I could taste three points if I’m honest,” Bay FC head coach Emma Coates lamented afterward.
The visitors got on the scoreboard early when Portland’s Caiya Hanks got into the box off a turnover from Bay defender Joelle Anderson. Trying to recover, Anderson got a foot on the ball, but it bounced directly to Thorns’ Nina Nijstad. She then slotted a pass to teammate Morgan Weaver in the center of the box, who calmly finished to take a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.
In the 21st minute, Portland had another chance when Reilyn Turner got the ball in the center of the box, but her turnaround shot went just over the corner of the bar.
Bay FC’s attack finally kicked into gear in the 29th minute. On a corner kick, Bay took the ball short, and Dorian Bailey dribbled along the end line and crossed it in front of goal. The ball pinged around and finally ended up in the air right in front of goal, where Bay FC forward Agostina Holzlieier was taken down by Portland defender M.A. Vignola.
Referee Alexandra Billeter pointed to the penalty spot, but after a lengthy VAR review it was determined that there was no foul, leaving Bay FC fans booing another foul overturned by VAR this season.
Then Bay FC’s players took matters into their own hands to level the score.
“I feel that call sort of like tipped us into that state of can’t say what I want to say, but let’s just get hold of the game and make stuff happen, basically,” noted Coates.
Right after Portland restarted the ball, Bay FC forward Karlie Lema intercepted it and steamed into the box, ending up one-on-one with Thorns keeper Mackenzie Arnold. The Portland keeper aggressively came off her line to cut off Lema’s avenue of attack and pushed her out wide.
“I dribbled around the keeper, and I kind of saw Caroline in my peripheral, and I was like, ‘Oh, Perfect,’” explained Lema. “So I just crossed it in. I feel like I get in that position a lot and it’s a hard angled shot, and so it was nice that someone else was in the box to be able to finish it, and she nailed that one in.”
The second half started with both teams having periods of possession, but Bay FC’s Kennedy Fuller had the biggest impact after the break.
In the 57th minute, Fuller received the ball on top of the box and unleashed a one-time shot that forced a sprawling save from the Thorns keeper.
Then, in the 67th minute, Bay FC took advantage of a mistake in the Thorns backline to take the lead. Lema received the ball out wide and sent it to Fuller, who toe-poked it through Thorns center back Carolyn Calzada’s legs. Fuller then ran onto the ball and fired it into the net for the 2-1 advantage.
“[Lema] literally put the ball in and I was 1v1,” noted Fuller. “I mean, she couldn’t have made it any easier.”
From there it appeared like Bay was in control, but a counterattack by Portland in the 87th minute paid dividends for the visitors desperate for a result.
Thorns winger Caiya Hanks got the ball out wide and crossed it into the box. It bounded off the feet of Bay FC defender Jenna Nighswonger and right back to Hanks, who ran onto it and slotted it near post past Bay FC keeper Jordan Silkowitz to tie the match.
Neither team could generate a quality scoring chance in the final minutes, and it ended a 2-2 draw. Despite the result, the Bay FC players tried to take positives from their performance, almost defeating an NWSL team fighting for its playoff position.
“It’s a game of pride, and that’s important for us as a club, as a team, and just like for our culture, we want to build something for next year as well,” explained Fuller. “Just showing that we have fight, and we’re going to continue to fight no matter if the game means nothing or the game means everything. We want to make sure that we just continue that.”
Next up is a game on Saturday, Oct. 24, against Angel City in Los Angeles. Bay FC finished up their 2026 campaign with a home game against the San Diego Wave on Nov. 1st.
