Claire Emslie scored in the 54th minute to double Angel City’s lead, and the defense delivered a shutout in a 2-0 road victory over Bay FC in a group play match of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on Friday night in San Jose.
Angel City was gifted the lead in the 18th minute when Bay FC midfielder Dorian Bailey accidentally knocked the ball into her own net. Defender Megan Reid got her foot on a ball that Emslie floated in behind Bay’s back line on a free kick. The ball caromed off the inside of the post, collided with Bailey as she attempted a clearance off the line, and rolled into the goal.
Emslie’s goal padded the margin. After taking the ball on the left side, Alyssa Thompson cut back and split two defenders with a short pass to Messiah Bright. The Texas native tapped the ball laterally to Emslie, who nutmegged defender Savy King as she sent a shot into the back of the net. It was Bright’s first assist with Angel City.
The win was just the second for ACFC since June 19 – a stretch of 10 games.
Angel City, which had lost its two regular-season meetings against Bay FC by 1-0 scores, is off to a strong start in the tournament. Angel City defeated Liga MX’s Club America, 2-1, last weekend at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium and sits atop the four-team group at 2-0. Club America and San Diego Wave are both 1-1, and Bay FC is 0-2.
Angel City next faces San Diego in its final group match on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Titan Stadium.
