Hometown hero Abby Dahlkemper’s magic touch brings Bay FC to the precipice of the NWSL playoffs

SAN JOSE – Albertin Montoya is known as a man of enthusiasm. But he took it up another level on Saturday night at PayPal Park.

With Bay FC’s playoff fate hanging in the balance against the North Carolina Courage, Racheal Kunandanji stepped up for a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box. Determined, she sized up North Carolina’s defensive formation and delivered a perfect cross for defender Abby Dahlkemper, who streaked across the box and touched home a clinical finish to put Bay FC up 1-0 in the 83rd minute.

That goal blew the roof off an anxious PayPal Park and ensured that Bay FC would finish the night one point away from an NWSL playoff spot. It also pushed Montoya’s leaping ability to heights perhaps never before seen from Bay FC’s 49-year-old coach.

“I think someone said maybe I broke my vertical jump (record) when I celebrated,” Montoya said. “I absolutely lost it.”

The 1-0 win – Bay FC’s 10th of its inaugural season, tying the San Diego Wave for most by an NWSL expansion side – was theatrical in every respect.

Act one consisted of a first half featuring multiple tantalizing chances for Bay FC, none of which found the back of the net. Act two was a nervy second half where Bay FC struggled to find openings to attack.

Act three was a final push from a Bay FC side desperate to get three points, resulting in a free kick after Dahlkemper’s college teammate Caprice Dydasco was fouled.

The climax? Kundananji curling in the perfect crosser, and Dahlkemper, Bay FC’s prized midseason trade acquisition who played for Montoya at the Mountain View Los Altos youth soccer club, coming through in the signature moment of Bay FC’s brief club history.

“It’s surreal,” Dahlkemper said after the match. “I’m so grateful. I’m so happy to be back home, and this team has allowed me to be myself. The fans, the support that we get, it’s incredible. My whole career has led me home, so it’s this full-circle moment.”

“That moment Abby scored, Abby turned around and locked eyes, and we were both like, ‘F— yeah,’” said forward Tess Boade. “That’s the moment, and now we just defend for our lives.”

The denouement featured a late charge by North Carolina and a crucial save when Bay FC goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland dove to her right in the final minutes. Then the whistle sounded, and the home company was met with a standing ovation from the 14,901 spectators in attendance.

“It’s a culmination of everything we’ve done, and that’s why it feels absolutely incredible,” Montoya said. “We’re finding different ways of winning, and that’s what it’s going to take to make the playoffs.”

Bay FC has not yet clinched a playoff spot, but Saturday’s win brings its magic number to one. Bay FC (10-14-1) is tied on points with seventh-place Portland at 31 and opened up a three-point lead over ninth-place Louisville, which defeated Portland 1-0 earlier Saturday after an 88th-minute goal by Taylor Flint.

Any result in Bay FC’s favor in the final weekend of the NWSL season from Nov. 1-3 will get the Bay’s team into the postseason. It could be a win or draw for Bay FC at Houston on Nov. 2, or any result other than a win for Louisville against San Diego on Nov. 3.

But Montoya doesn’t want to bank on the latter. He wants another magic moment to send Bay FC into the playoffs and make it the second expansion team to reach the NWSL postseason in its first year of competition.

“I want to finish in sixth place, and there’s a possibility of that, right?” Montoya said. “So I’m looking at how high we can go up the standings. It’s that mentality. It’s not just one point and we’re finished. It’s the way I am, how we think. This is what we try to send to the players, that positivity, and then we’ll see who we face.”

Chicago currently sits in sixth place with 32 points but has a game in hand – the Red Stars take on Washington tomorrow at 2 p.m. But for now, Bay FC can dream on – after all, the Bay’s team has already authored one fairy-tale ending this weekend.

“I think everyone in a 10-mile radius probably heard the stadium and the fans,” said Dahlkemper. “It was incredible. My ears were ringing.”