SAN FRANCISCO — If you can’t win, you can at least entertain.
Bay FC was unable to put together a needed victory in its historic tilt with the Washington Spirit on Saturday afternoon in San Francisco, but what the second-year NWSL club did accomplish was a unique experience for a record-breaking, announced crowd of 40,091 fans at Oracle Park.
Bay FC lost the game 3-2, finding itself unable to come back from a 3-0 first-half deficit despite an array of late chances. But what the late rally did accomplish was pumping energy into a collective that was desperate for a reason to cheer.
“If you saw me every corner (kick), I was like, ‘Come on, keep on going,’” said forward Racheal Kundananji, whose late first-half goal put Bay FC on the board and got the crowd into the game for the first time. “Because I loved that. And maybe that’s why we even scored the second goal, because everyone was just on their toes saying, ‘Oh, the fans are behind our backs. They are fighting this with us.’ ”
The attendance mark eclipsed the previous NWSL record set at Wrigley Field last season, when Bay FC faced Chicago in front of 35,038 announced spectators.
But this occasion was special for Bay FC beyond the numbers at the turnstiles. It was an example of how the second-year club is resonating in the Bay Area market and the possibilities that presents moving forward.
“Fifteen years ago, I coached in the (Women’s Professional Soccer) finals here, and there were less than 3,000 fans in the finals,” said coach Albertin Montoya, who grew up in the Bay Area. “And now we have a league game with over 40,000. It means so much that the game has grown to where it’s at right now.
“My daughter is a footballer right now, plays in college, because she grew up watching players in the WPS, and that inspired her. And now, can you imagine how many young players are going to just be inspired by what they saw?”
Both Bay FC and the nascent Golden State Valkyries have demonstrated that the appetite for women’s sports in the Bay Area is robust. Montoya floated the idea of thinking even bigger moving forward.
Evidence would suggest the support will be there.
“You look all over the world now, when there’s major events or big games, they’re selling out stadiums,” Montoya said. “Whether it’s Europe, whether it’s here. Let’s take a chance. Let’s do this more often, because every time it’s been done, 35,000 last year, 40,000 this year. Why not 60,000 next time around? So this is just going to continue growing the game.”
Bay FC is quickly gaining a reputation as a team that attracts audiences at marquee events. In addition to the one-off games at Wrigley and Oracle Park, the club has hosted friendlies with popular international opponents FC Barcelona Femení and Urawa Red Diamonds.
PayPal Park will also host the NWSL championship this season, capping off an impressive two-year run of showcase games connected one way or another to Bay FC’s presence in the Bay Area.
Midfielder Caroline Conti, whose errant high shot disappeared over the Oracle Park outfield wall for a mock home run, said the overall experience matched the high hopes that Bay FC had attached to the game it labeled “The Show.”
“It was just excitement,” Conti said. “I mean, anytime you get a chance to play in front of 40,000 people, it’s incredible. We just wanted to put on a good show, show up for our fans and just do the best possible we can.”
