SAN JOSE Its actually been 133 days, I think, since our last win, Bay FC midfielder Tess Boade said after the teams 4-1 defeat against the North Carolina Courage on Friday night at PayPal Park, their last home game of the season.
Boade, who wore the captains armband in Bay FCs 14th game without a win, was just off in her calculations. It has been 132 days but that distance between being right and wrong is in many ways an apt description of their sophomore season in the National Womens Soccer League.
On Friday, it wasnt just that the Courages win included a hat-trick from 21-year-old Japan international Manaka Matsukubo, who netted her first two in the opening eight minutes. Or that the early onslaught left Bay FC supporters, desperate for any thread of hope, stunned into silence throughout the game, which at times made the pitch feel like it was sinking into the earth.
It was that Bays overall performance was uninspired and directionless outside of a few spurts of individual brilliance. It was a grim reflection of a season in which they failed to build on their inaugural year, even going backwards in some aspects. Last week, they were eliminated from playoff contention with a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Reign. However, head coach Albertin Montoya believes the display against the Courage was a blip rather than a summary of his sides season.
This is a rare game for us because more often than not, our losses are one-goal games. Were in every game, Montoya said in Fridays post-game press conference. This one just got away from us, so what Id like to end up with is: Get back to the way weve been playing.
The club announced last month that Montoya would step down at the end of the season as Bay FC moves into its second phase of growth. He has spoken in the past of his desire to see out the rest of the season with the group, and on Friday acknowledged his own role in the teams loss.
I also told them that it was on me. I got the tactics wrong today, he said.
Typically, Bay FC will tuck in its far-side winger to assist the midfield. And Carolina, Im sure, did their homework, Montoya said. They watched us, and they did a very good job of switching it and getting it around, which made us chase a little bit more than wed like to.
There was also the matter of Bay FCs personnel, another decision for which Montoya accepted responsibility. He said he wanted to reward some of the players who have put so much time into it this season, but normally entered matches from the bench, such as forward Catherine Paulson and midfielder Jamie Shepherd, who started on Friday.
That meant leaving forwards Karlie Lema and Zambia international Racheal Kundananji, who earlier that day had earned a nomination for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) womens Player of the Year award, on the sidelines in the first half.
Matsukubos rapid brace felt like the prelude to an excruciating night for the home crowd, but then Bay FC forward Penelope Hocking punched a header past Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, and PayPal Park was briefly buoyed. It was her first goal since her return from a foot injury that kept her out of action for six weeks.
Early into the second half, Bay FC was penalised for a handball in the box and referee Mark Verso awarded North Carolina a penalty an opportunity for Manaka to complete her hat-trick, catapult her name into the Golden Boot race and seal their win. The crowd fell silent but, after an earlier error, Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz redeemed herself with a save, earning a roar from the crowd that was even louder than that shown for Hockings goal.
The good vibes were temporarily restored until Japan midfielder Shinomi Koyama snuck between Bay FC centerbacks Sydney Collins and Brooklyn Courtnall who both came from the Courage to score North Carolinas third goal of the game. Six minutes later, Matsukubo completed her hat-trick, tightening the screws on their victory.
Thats the golden question: Why do you not win? Why do you, you know, lose? Theres just something to be said about the inertia of winning, the inertia of losing. Its really tough when you get behind the eight ball, or nine ball, Boade said.
Every pro league has a few teams every year that you just get stuck behind losing, and its hard to relate to unless youve been in it.
Each week we tried something new: Maybe a different thing in the lineup, maybe we had a culture meeting, maybe this, maybe that. We threw a lot of darts at the wall and it was frustrating that not one really stuck. But what did stick is the group and the belief to keep trying. I feel proud of that.
Bay FC will have one last chance to hit a target in their final match of the season against Racing Louisville on Nov. 1.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Bay FC, NWSL, Women’s Soccer
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