Two second-half finishes were the difference Sunday night as Bay FC topped Racing Louisville FC, 2-0, at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
The defeat marked Racing’s fifth straight — including three on the road — dating back to Aug. 23.
Alex Pfeiffer and Karlie Lema recorded the goals for Bay within a six-minute span during the opening stages of the second half. Pfeiffer found the opener for the hosts, while Lema doubled their advantage with her seventh tally of the season to round out the scoring for the night.
Sitting in 15th position, Louisville has five matches remaining: three at home and two away.
“Right now the reality is, full transparency, we all know it, we have to keep fighting,” said head coach Bev Yanez. “And the reality is, I’ve also spoke about this with the team afterwards at the end of the match; we can’t quit.”
“… We haven’t had a great season; we understand that. We know that, and we’re aware of that. But motivation, in the sense of: What can we continue to prove? How can we continue to work hard? How can we continue to find a perspective on our situation?”
The hosts, coming off a short turnaround from a road draw Wednesday, forced Racing to do a lot of defending in the opening half of play. Louisville’s defense stood firm amid Bay’s first-period attacks, as the teams reached halftime level at 0-0.
Yanez said the team’s first-half struggles came down to its “ability to secure the ball in transition,” which left few chances to settle and rest.
Bay’s momentum, however, from its consistent first-half pressure carried right into the second.
Within the opening five minutes of the final period, Bay found the game’s first breakthrough as Pfeiffer got on the end of a Racheal Kundananji cross. It was the third time in the last four matches that Racing has conceded a goal in the first five minutes of the second half.
The lead doubled six minutes later, with Lema the scorer this time after a chaotic sequence in the box.
A slew of substitutions just after the 70th minute helped Louisville push Bay onto its back foot, but it was too late, as BFC took all three points to move up a place in the NWSL table.
“The result is frustrating, and that’s probably true for everyone watching as well,” said goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer. “I know it’s been a tough season for us.
“… We are competitive, but we [were] just that one little step away from being able to put the ball in the back of the net today to, I think, make it look like a little bit of a real match.”
The attention will now shift back home to Louisville, as Racing welcomes the surging San Diego Wave FC to Lynn Family Stadium Friday for a German-inspired Oktoberfest celebration. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET. Tickets and more information on the night’s promotions can be found at RacingLouFC.com/oktoberfest.
The match is the first of two consecutive home games for Louisville before an international break, spanning from Oct. 5-13.
“We have a lot of great people and a lot of great leaders,” said defender Quincy MaMahon in reflection. “… It gets tough, it gets challenging at times, especially if you individually want to give a better performance than you do. But I think that we just have great people that are always building us up.”
Game Summary: Bay FC vs. Racing Louisville FC
Date: September 20, 2026
Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, Calif.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: 71 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
Bay FC (0, 2, 2)
Racing Louisville FC (0, 0, 0)
Goals:
Bay FC:
50′ Alex Pfeiffer (Racheal Kundananji)
56′ Karlie Lema
Lineups
Bay FC: 29 – Jordan Silkowitz, 31 – Jenna Nighswonger, 18 – Joelle Anderson, 21 – Aldana Cometti, 16 – Sydney Collins (c) (84′ 24 – Maddie Moreau), 41 – Hannah Bebar, 7 – Taylor Huff (90′ 19 – Dorian Bailey), 8 – Claire Hutton, 9 – Racheal Kundananji (64′ 27 – Keira Barry), 17 – Alex Pfeiffer (84′ 23 – Caroline Conti), 5 – Karlie Lema (64′ 10 – Cristiana Girelli)
Subs not used: 1 – Camryn Miller; 2 – Heather Gilchrist, 4 – Emily Menges, 11 – Kelli Hubly
Head coach: Emma Coates
Racing Louisville FC: 24 – Jordyn Bloomer; 12 – Quincy McMahon (63′ 4 – Makenna Morris), 5 – Ellie Jean, 3 – Arin Wright (c), 8 – Courtney Petersen, 6 – Ella Hase (71′ 21 – Rachel Hill), 20 – Katie O’Kane (71′ 88 – Audrey McKeen), 42 – Sarah Weber (71′ 16 – Maja Lardner), 2 – Lauren Milliet, 13 – Emma Sears, 9 – Kayla Fischer (64′ 10 – Macey Hodge)
Subs not used: 1 – Maddie Prohaska; 11 – Taylor White, 15 – Mirann Gacioch, 23 – Macy Philippus
Head coach: Bev Yanez
Stats Summary: Bay FC / Racing Louisville FC
Shots: 22 / 6
Shots on Goal: 9 / 2
Expected goals: 2.80 / 0.58
Possession: 59.5% / 40.5%
Fouls: 9 / 13
Offside: 2 / 3
Corners: 5 / 3
Discipline Summary
Bay FC:
90’+2 Caroline Conti (yellow)
Racing Louisville FC:
35′ Arin Wright (yellow)
Match referee: Amin Hadzic
