African players abroad Racheal Kundananji scores on debut but Bay FC suffer Houston Dash defeat

Zambia international Racheal Kundananji came off the bench for her debut and was among the goals as Bay FC suffered a 3-2 defeat against Houston Dash at PayPal Park on Saturday.

Midfielder Havana Solaun scored the game-winning goal in the final moments of the match. Bay FC initially cleared a cross from forward María Sanchez, but the ball fell to Solaun for her first goal in league play.

Houston equalised in the 66th minute after Sanchez found Diana Ordonez at the far post. The Mexican international headed the ball toward the far post for her first goal of the season. The Dash were awarded a penalty kick in the 86th minute after referee Abdou Ndiaye reviewed a handball inside the box.

Ordonez took the ensuing penalty kick, and her initial effort was saved, but the forward was quick to react to the rebound for the go-ahead goal. Bay FC scored the match’s opening goal in the 19th minute after forward Deyna Castellanos capitalized on a deflection.

Kundananji, who came on in the 60th minute to make her Bay FC debut, won a battle against her defender on the right wing, then cut inside and beat two more defenders before she chipped the goalie with a perfect floater that landed in the back corner of the net.

Kundananji, the 23-year-old who recently set the world record for a transfer fee when Bay FC paid $800,000 to acquire her from Madrid CFF, ran to the sidelines and a teammate handed her a Zambian flag.

She draped it around her shoulders and the crowd went wild, but the referee did not, as he booked her with a yellow card.


Dennis Mabuka

Dennis Mabuka is a seasoned Kenyan journalist with 18 years of experience covering sports events. He is currently a sport content creator with en.Africatopsports.com.

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