Bay FC Fans, Players Make History At 'The Show'

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Records were set at Oracle Park over the weekend, and they had nothing to do with baseball. They had everything to do with the Bay Area’s women’s professional soccer team, Bay FC.

The stadium, usually reserved for San Francisco Giants games, hosted a women’s professional soccer game for the first time in its history Saturday. To boot, the momentous occasion saw 40,091 fans in attendance — the highest number of people yet for a National Women’s Soccer League game.

Bay FC midfielder Caroline Conti said the team spent some time on the field “to feel the atmosphere, even before the fans were there” and to ground themselves for the historic match. For her, a standout moment during the game was when Bay FC scored.

“You could hear everyone cheering and chanting for us and having our backs,” she said.

Bay FC played against Washington Spirit Saturday afternoon in "The Show," with a kickoff time of 1 p.m. and the game itself going over 90 minutes. The Spirit, the NWSL’s Washington, D.C.-based team whose home games are at Audi Field, won the match 3-2.

“It's always fun to play them,” Conti said about Washington Spirit. “They're a really tough opponent, just like any other team in the league.”

Washington Spirit’s goals were scored by defender Kate Wiesner and midfielder Croix Bethune.

“I really felt the energy of the crowd and the energy of the moment,” Wiesner said. “[I knew] that we were doing something really special, something that's never been done before."

She noted that Bay FC had more momentum and the crowd behind them in the second half and was proud of the Spirit’s ability to “stay steady” and pull off the win.

“This is history, so to be a part of it is an honor,” said teammate Bethune. “But this is our job — we do have a game to play and wanted to focus on winning.”

Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya described the match as “so close” score-wise and as “an exciting game that could have gone either way.”

“The fans were absolutely amazing and really supported our team, and that helped us through the entire game,” he said. “When you're down three goals, … you can give up or you can be like, ‘Hey, let's make something happen.’ And a credit to all the players — they never stopped fighting. They believe in each other.”

Bay FC’s goals Saturday were scored by defender Kelli Hubly and forward Racheal Kundananji, whose shot went into the net just before halftime.

“This was so important to us, having 40,000-plus fans around us,” Kundananji said. “The way we are playing, it's because of the fans. Every time we get the ball, they are chanting and they are motivating us to work hard.”

“Because of the fans, we were able to achieve those two goals, and the fight we gave out there was just so amazing,” she said.

Bay FC represents the nine Bay Area counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. People from each of those counties were in the stands Saturday, loudly cheering throughout the match and staying until the very end.

“They didn't stop cheering for us, and that motivates the players, and that's so important,” Montoya said. “It's happening at PayPal [where Bay FC has their home games], and it happened here. They believe — and know — that this team will fight to the end.”

“That combination of fans supporting us and our players believing in what they can do goes a long way,” he added.

The NWSL itself continues to make history as the longest running U.S. women’s professional soccer league. Its 12 seasons of play surpass that of its predecessors, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), which had three seasons before folding in 2012, and the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), which also played for three seasons, from 2001 to 2003.

NWSL matches like Saturday’s prove the growth of women’s pro soccer and the positive impact of the league and its teams, Montoya noted.

“If you were just a fan and not a fan of Bay FC or Washington Spirit, you would have enjoyed the game [Saturday]. If you were just coming for the first time to watch soccer, you're now a soccer fan,” he said. “Let’s think big and have more events like this.”

Going forward, the plan is to bring together Bay FC fans in Oracle Park for a match every year, Bay FC staff shared with Patch.

“At the end of the day, what a special moment for everyone involved,” said Montoya. “I told the players, ‘Take a step back. Take it all in, because we just made history.' They should be enjoying the moment as much as possible — and now back to work.”

Bay FC will play their next match on Monday, Sept. 1 against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Their next home game at PayPal Park is Sunday, Sept. 7 against Kansas City Current. In the 2025 regular season standings, Bay FC ranks 12 out of the 14 NWSL teams.

They aim to make it to the playoffs, as they did during their inaugural season (in 2024), Montoya and Bay FC staff shared.

For the full Bay FC schedule, go here.

Tickets for the Kansas City Current match at PayPal Park can be purchased here.

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