Angel City Football Club took a 2-0 loss on the road tonight against NorCal rival Bay FC, with goals by Bay forward Penelope Hocking and midfielder Caroline Conti.
Bay opened up the scoring tab in the 23rd minute with a goal by forward Hocking following a sharp through-ball across the box from midfielder Taylor Huff, giving Hocking the perfect angle to shoot the ball back across the box to the right side of the net.
Following a foul in the box committed by ACFC goalkeeper Angelina Anderson after coming out of her position to fight for the ball from Huff, who had a dangerous opportunity to score, Bay midfielder Conti hit the penalty kick attempt to put the home team up 2-0 in the 28th minute.
Although ACFC went into the half down 2-0 at PayPal Park, they played a scrappy 45+6’ minutes with nine total shots, 65.1% possession, two corners won and 39 touches in the final third.
In the first minute of the second half, ACFC came out attacking immediately. Forward Alyssa Thompson took a huge shot on target after jetting down the center of the pitch directly towards Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz who was able to get in front of the ball.
Another opportunity for ACFC came in the 54th minute when forward Riley Tiernan received the perfect pass from forward Christen Press, leaving her 1-v-1 with Bay defender Maddie Moreau, taking a right footed shot that landed in the hands of Silkowitz.
Bay took an attempt that could’ve given them a three-goal lead four minutes later in the 58th minute, as forward Racheal Kundananji took a shot towards the upper end of the goal, hitting the cross bar.
In the 77th minute ACFC created another potential threat to score as ACFC midfielder Madison Hammond lobbed the ball in the box perfectly to midfielder Kennedy Fuller who lost traction while running in, barely getting a foot on the ball. However, they were able to hold their NorCal rival scoreless in the second half with their relentless defensive efforts.
Despite tonight’s loss, Angel City out shot their opponent with 17 total shots and four on goal, with 11 of those 17 shots taken inside the box.
Angel City is back at home next week, taking on Racing Louisville FC on Saturday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. live on ION.
