Angel City traveled to San Jose to face Northern California rivals Bay FC for the third time since the expansion team's debut in 2024, but fell short by a 2-0 final score. Bay FC dominated the first half, netting two goals and blocking Los Angeles's limited offensive attack.
The home side found an opening to score in the 23rd minute. Hannah Hocking followed a through-ball across the box from midfielder Taylor Huff and found the perfect angle to shoot across the box to the right side of the net.
Huff with her first career assist ➡️ Hocking to the back of the net! 💥#BAYvLA #BayFC pic.twitter.com/7LZQGT5B5S
— Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) May 18, 2025
Five minutes later, Bay midfielder Conti hit a penalty kick attempt to double the score in the 28th minute.
Calm and collected, @carolineconti23 finds the back of the net for #BayFC! 💥#BAYvLA pic.twitter.com/KRxBzpuELi
— Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) May 18, 2025
Although ACFC went into the locker room down, they played a back-and-forth half, earning nine shots on target, 65.1% possession and 39 touches in the final third. There were several promising chances for the visitors. In the 54th minute, Riley Tiernan received a pass from forward Christen Press, leaving her 1-v-1 with Bay defender Maddie Moreau, taking a right-footed shot that was ultimately blocked.
Angel City seemed more aggressive after half time but couldn't find the perfect finishes and had left gaps in defensive coverage. Former Bay defender Savy King was absent for Saturday's match after sustaining a non-contact injury last week where she was rushed to the hospital during game play.
“We've put everything into this week. Even though we fell short today, it doesn't represent who we are and what we'll do the rest of the season. The girls have all been through so much this season. We started off preseason with the LA fires, people evacuating and then last week with Savy going down. This is a really strong group, so definitely expect us to regroup and come back stronger from this," said team captain Sarah Gorden.
“This isn't who we are, but like I said, there is a lot of emotion from this game. We really wanted the result. We have an emotional drive to get back in it and I don't think it's indicative of who we are. I do think we're a tired group, so we need to take a day away and come back.”
Last week's match drew criticism of the NWSL after Angel City and the Utah Royals were told to resume the match after King was removed from the field. Although King is recovering per the club's official statement, the decision called into question the prioritization of player mental and physical health.
Statements by Angel City FC and the Family of Savy King. pic.twitter.com/4qskjZtTpq
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) May 14, 2025
“It’s been an incredibly difficult week. Probably the most difficult week that any of us will experience in our career. I think two things were going to happen. Either we were going to come out and steamroll somebody, or we were going to have a bit of a performance like tonight, certainly the first half performance. There's so much context this week, but what you saw, especially in the first half. Everyone was a little bit drained, which was obvious from what we saw," said interim head coach Sam Laity.
“I must say this, I'm extremely proud of the players. They've been focused this week, but that's been pretty obvious from what we've seen this week. I’m proud of them for turning up today and fighting right until the end. While that's not a surprise, I have so much admiration for the group. Having experienced what they've just experienced this last week.
Angel City returns to BMO next week, taking on Racing Louisville FC on Saturday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. live on ION. Saturday's loss drops Angel City to seventh in the league standings.