LOS ANGELES – Angel City Football Club defeated Bay FC 2-0, since announcing their place in the playoffs on Saturday night at BMO Stadium.
This is the first time Angel City has made the playoffs since 2023 and they came into this match with an eight-game unbeaten streak.
Bay FC stood 14th place on the board and held a great defensive line with Aldana Cometti and Heather Gilchrist.
The team was not able to find their rhythm early causing a slow start against Bay FC. Angel City's offense during the first half wasn't able to find any gaps in between Bay FC's coverage.
"The first 10 minutes, we were great and the next 20 minutes, we were losing the ball too easily," Angel City captain and center back Sarah Gorden said. "We came back out there, we were calm and trying to get the ball back into the net."
Angel City had 65 percent ball possession during the first half, enabling them to pass through Bay FC, as they had five shots with two of them being on target.
Only one yellow card was lifted up to Savy King in the first half. And Bay FC was not able to get past ACFC's defense, ending the first half with zero total shots.
After a slow first half, Angel City brought the heat in the second half. The second half saw a more strategic and successful side of Angel City. Gisele Thompson found the net in the 49th minute, scoring Angel City's first goal of the night, with an assist from Maiara Niehues.
"I am very impressed by Gisele. She can play every game, every minute," Angle City Coach Leif Smerud said. "She has brought physicality and technicality. She does her and more, and she's figuring out the winter room."
Angel City's continued aggression, Taylor Suarez blasted the ball from the left side of the box, almost making the second goal for Angel City. Bay FC's goalkeeper, Jordan Silkowitz, stayed firm and focused during the second half, blocking six shots from Angel City.
In the 83rd minute, the ball made its way to the net courtesy of forward Riley Tiernan as the ball slipped away from Silkowitz fingers. That made the score, 2-0, and that ended up being the final score.
The win against Bay FC extended Angel City's unbeaten streak to nine games and moved the club to 4th place with 49 points. For the first time in the club's history, Angel City has a chance to host a home playoff match at BMO Stadium.
"We are a very effective team. We win games. We do what needs to be done to win games," Gorden said. "We're extremely effective and that's what you need going into the playoffs. So I'm really excited to see how we do."
Angel City is ready for the playoffs to begin. Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson spoke to the press about the team's mindset.
"We just make sure to do our best, to really focus on these games like the job's not finished yet. We really wanna go into the playoffs with a lot of good momentum," said Anderson.
Angel City will play its final game of the season, against Boston Legacy Football Club (9-5-14, 32pts.) at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday, November 1.
