Bay FC tops Angel City FC 1-0 to earn first win in club history. Asisat Oshoala scores first goal, Lysianne Proulx registers eight saves in NWSL debut
Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – Bay FC, the Bay Area’s new women’s professional soccer franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), earned a 1-0 win against Angel City FC in their inaugural NWSL match at BMO Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Asisat Oshoala opened the scoring in the 17th minute, tallying the new women’s soccer club’s first goal as a club. Goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx helped keep the team’s first clean sheet, registering eight saves.
Oshoala scored the first goal in Bay FC history, while Tess Boade recorded the first assist in club history. Bay FC and Proulx also kept the first clean sheet in club history. Savy King became the first rookie to appear in a game for the club. The No. 2 overall pick started the match. Alex Loera was the first player to wear the captain’s armband for the club. Asisat Oshoala, Deyna Castellanos and Proulx became the first international players to appear in a game for the San Francisco Bay Area Soccer Club.
NWSL Debuts
Castellanos, King, Oshoala and Proulx made their NWSL debuts, starting in the match for Bay FC. Notably, Proulx tied the record for saves made by a goalkeeper in their NWSL regular season debut. Her eight saves matched Adrianna Franch in her NWSL debut for the Western New York Flash in 2013. She also became the 16th goalkeeper in league history to record a shutout in their league debut.
Goal-Scoring Plays
BAY – Asisat Oshoala (Tess Boade), 17th minute: Bay FC created a turnover just outside the Angel City FC box. Tess Boade intercepted the ball and delivered a quick pass into the box for Asisat Oshoala, who fired a shot into the top right corner of the goal.
Notes:
- Head coach Albertin Montoya earned his first win with Bay FC. He has won his first game with every professional women’s soccer club he has coached, including FC Gold Pride (2009) and the Washington Spirit (2022).
- Bay FC and Angel City are two of the three California teams (along with the San Diego Wave FC) in the NWSL this season. It is the first time in WUSA, WPS or NWSL history that one state will have three different teams play in the same season.
- Sunday’s game marked the first time a team representing the Bay Area has played In the topflight of a women’s pro soccer league since the 2010 WPS Championship when FC Gold Pride beat the Philadelphia Independence, 4-0, in Hayward, Calif. Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya also coached that team.
- The three California teams (Bay FC, San Diego, Angel City) are the only expansion teams to win their inaugural regular season match in NWSL history (excluding relocated teams).
- Savy King, the second pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft, was one of eight draft picks to start Week 1 of the NWSL season.
- King was one of five teenagers to start on opening weekend in the NWSL along with Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Kennedy Fuller (Angel City FC) and Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC).
- With her appearance, Deyna Castellanos became the first Venezuela-born player to appear in an NWSL match.
- Asisat Oshoala became the ninth Nigerian player to feature in a league contest.
- Lysianne Proulx was the sixth Canadian international to earn an NWSL start as a goalkeeper. Joining Sabrina D’Angelo, Stephanie Labbé, Karina LeBlanc, Kailen Sheridan and Erin McLeod who all previously appeared in NWSL matches. Sheridan is the only other Canadian goalkeeper on an active NWSL roster in 2024.
- Proulx became the 16th goalkeeper in NWSL history to record a shutout in their league debut.