June 09, (THEWILL) – Joelle Anderson’s 79th-minute goal propelled Bay FC to a hard-fought 2-1 win against the Chicago Red Stars early on Sunday. The match, played before a record-breaking crowd of 35,038 at Wrigley Field, saw Anderson’s close-range effort find the bottom-right corner past Alyssa Naeher in the Red Stars’ goal.
Penelope Hocking’s strike in the third minute of stoppage time proved a mere consolation for Chicago as Bay FC held firm to secure all three points. The visitors had taken the lead through Kiki Pickett’s 25th-minute thunderbolt from range that nestled into the same corner of the net.
Despite Asisat Oshoala’s industrious efforts during her 62-minute appearance, the Nigerian international could not get on the scoresheet before being replaced by Dorian Bailey. Nevertheless, her contribution proved vital as Bay FC avenged their 2-1 loss against the same opposition on May 5th.
The attendance, on Saturday, shattered the previous National Women’s Soccer League record of 34,130 set in October 2023 at Seattle’s Lumen Field for Megan Rapinoe’s farewell match. Notably, it also marked the first professional women’s sporting event held at the iconic Wrigley Field since the 1943 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fixture.
With this victory, Bay FC climbed level with Houston Dash in 10th place on 12 points in the tight 14-team NWSL standings.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
