Copper Queens star Racheal Kundananji put up a player of the match performance on Sunday morning [CAT], scoring a brace to send Bay FC to their first-ever playoffs of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
It was the club’s first brace in history, and it helped them win 3-2 on the road against the Houston Dash, who scored an own goal through Paige Nielsen before Barbara Olivieri and Avery Patterson scored the only goals of the game.
“I feel like this is the greatest team and you know, the way we’ve been pushing one another and in this game, the way we started pushing one another to work hard and to look out for one another; It just made me feel so special,” Kundananji said after the game.
She added: “This is a special team, which from the word goal, we didn’t start well but in the end of the season we had to pull up our socks and here we are now on the playoffs, I am so happy.”
With the victory, Bay FC became only the second expansion team in league history to qualify for the playoffs.
The club’s final standings position will be determined by tomorrow’s encounter between the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current; a draw or loss for Chicago will ensure seventh place and a quarterfinal match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. Should Chicago overcome Kansas City, Bay FC will finish eighth and face the Orlando Pride in the quarterfinals.
