Gotham v Bay FC Preview

Match Preview: Gotham FC Aims to Close First Half of Season on High Note

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (June 20, 2025) - Gotham FC will look to earn a second consecutive win and close out the first half of the 2025 NWSL regular season on a high note when it hosts Bay FC on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with national broadcast coverage on ION.

Gotham FC (4-5-3, 15 points) returns home for Week 13 following a dominant 3-0 victory over the Utah Royals last weekend at America First Field. Forward Esther González recorded her fourth brace of the 2025 NWSL season — tying the league’s single-season record — while midfielder Jaelin Howell added her first career NWSL regular season goal.

At home this season, Gotham holds a 1-3-1 record, having scored four goals and conceded six. The club had a memorable performance against Bay FC in last year’s home fixture, earning a 5-1 win behind four second-half goals, including a brace from González and a goal from Rose Lavelle.

Bay FC (4-5-3, 15 points) enters Saturday’s matchup level on points with Gotham, with both clubs tied for eighth place in the NWSL standings. On the road, however, Bay has struggled, earning just five points from six matches — tied with Chicago Stars FC for the second fewest in the league away from home.

In Week 12, Bay FC suffered a 1-0 home loss to reigning NWSL champion Orlando Pride, which secured the win with a second-half goal from Barbra Banda.

Saturday’s meeting will be the third all-time matchup between the two clubs. Gotham owns a perfect 2-0-0 record against Bay, having outscored the expansion side 7-1 across two matches in 2024.

Following Saturday’s match, Gotham FC will pause league play for five weeks as several players depart for national team duty and major international tournaments.

Key Points: 

• Gotham FC’s plus-six goal differential against Bay FC in 2024 marked the club’s best against any opponent in a single regular season in franchise history.
• The club’s 3-0 win over Utah on Friday was Gotham FC’s third victory this season by a margin of three or more goals, following a 4-0 win at Angel City FC and a 3-0 win at Washington — both in April. It marks the first time in club history that Gotham has recorded three wins by three or more goals in a single regular season.
• Forward Esther González has recorded multiple goals in four of her 12 league appearances this season, including a brace in Friday’s win over Utah. The only player in NWSL history to reach four multi-goal games in fewer appearances during a single regular season was Barbra Banda, who did so in 10 matches in 2024.
• Gotham FC has scored five goals via headers this season, the third-most in the NWSL, with forward Esther González accounting for four of those goals.