Mina Tanaka's Retaken Penalty Lifts Utah Royals Past Bay FC 3-2 for a Club-Record 11th Win of the Season

Mina Tanaka had to take the same penalty twice. She did not seem bothered.

After Jordan Silkowitz saved her first attempt and a video review ordered a retake, Tanaka put the second one into the bottom left corner in the 79th minute, and the Utah Royals beat Bay FC 3-2 on Friday night at America First Field. Utah said the result gave the Royals 11 wins this season, a new single-season club record, and it came after a wild first half that produced four goals in 23 minutes.

Four Goals Before the Half-Hour Mark

This game started at a sprint. Silkowitz saved from Ana Tejada in the fourth minute, and two minutes later Bay was ahead in bizarre fashion. Utah tried to play out through goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, Karlie Lema pressed hard, and McGlynn's clearance came off the sliding forward and into the net. Both clubs described it the same way: pure pressure, rewarded.

Utah needed about a minute to answer. Cece Delzer's shot from a Paige Cronin cross was blocked, the loose ball fell to right back Miyabi Moriya on the right side of the six-yard box, and she finished through Silkowitz's legs, according to the Royals. Utah said it was her first goal for the club.

In the 22nd minute, Cloé Lacasse rolled a pass back to Narumi Miura, who took a couple of touches and ripped a shot from outside the box into the top right corner. The Royals' recap made a point of noting that even a diving Silkowitz could not get there.

Bay found its own unlikely hero seven minutes later. Kennedy Fuller delivered a corner, Hannah Bebar flicked it on, and center back Heather Gilchrist arrived at the back post to head it home. Bay said it was the first professional goal for Gilchrist, who was making her first NWSL start just days after her pro debut off the bench at Chicago.

The rest of the half was frantic without being productive. Silkowitz stopped Tanaka from distance in the 34th and Cronin from the middle of the box in first-half stoppage time, while Alex Pfeiffer had two efforts blocked in the 41st. It was 2-2 at the break.

A Tense, Scrappy Second Half

The second half was much tighter. Lacasse went close in the 50th minute, Taylor Huff sent a Bay chance over in the 56th, and both coaches turned to their benches around the hour. Jenna Nighswonger replaced Gilchrist for Bay in the 62nd, which Bay said was her first NWSL appearance since November 2024.

Then came the decisive sequence. In the 73rd minute Tanaka drew a foul from Claire Hutton inside the area, and Utah had a penalty. Silkowitz saved the first attempt, but Bay's recap said the referee went to the monitor, video review showed the goalkeeper had come off her line early, and the kick was retaken. Tanaka went to the same side again, Utah said, sent Silkowitz the wrong way and scored. Utah said it was her third penalty goal of the season.

Bay pushed for an equalizer. Lema headed a Maddie Moreau cross high and wide in the 81st, and McGlynn saved Keira Barry's shot from distance a minute later. Utah's substitutes, including Courtney Brown in what the club said was her 50th NWSL appearance, helped close things out through eight minutes of stoppage time.

Tanaka Ran the Show

Tanaka's line was a full shift of chaos: two shots, both on target, one goal, four fouls drawn and five fouls committed. She was involved in everything, and when the biggest moment arrived, she handled it with the calm of someone who has done this before. Utah noted that she and Lacasse have each been involved in at least 10 goals this season.

Lacasse added an assist, and Moriya and Miura chipped in goals of their own. Utah said Tanaka became the third Japanese player to score for the Royals in the match, which made for a pretty fun stat line: all three Utah goals came from that group.

For Bay, Gilchrist's goal was a feel-good moment, and Lema's relentless pressing produced the opener. Silkowitz made three saves and actually stopped the penalty once, which counts for something even if the scoreboard does not show it.

The Turning Point

The retake. Silkowitz had done her job, and if that save stands, the game is still level with 10 minutes to play. Instead the review sent everyone back to the spot, and Tanaka converted at the second time of asking. A match this even was settled by however far Silkowitz had strayed off her line.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Utah 6, Bay 4, from 11 and 10 attempts.
• Saves: Silkowitz 3, McGlynn 2.
• Possession: Utah 51.4 percent, Bay 48.6.
• Fouls: Utah 14, Bay 8.
• Long balls: Bay completed 24 of 59, Utah 15 of 44.

What It Means

Utah moves to 11-3-6 with 36 points and bounces back from last week's 2-1 loss at Denver. The Royals' recap listed them second in the league after the win, with Bay 14th, and its headline noted Utah remains undefeated against Bay, after a 0-0 draw between the sides in May. Utah visits the San Diego Wave on Friday, Aug. 21.

Bay falls to 5-4-10 with 19 points and is winless in five matches, with four losses and last week's 0-0 draw at Chicago. Coach Emma Coates sounded more frustrated by the margins than the performance.

"Sometimes football can be a very love-hate relationship, and we can't beat ourselves up on the outcome because actually, in the balance of play, we gave a really good account of ourselves," Coates said.

She added: "I don't want the players to beat themselves up too much because I do feel we've gone toe to toe and lost on such fine margins. There's absolutely positives we can take."

Bay returns home to host the Houston Dash at PayPal Park on Sunday, Aug. 23.

Closing Take

Every great sports drama needs a do-over, and this one got it from the penalty spot. Bay will feel hard done by, but Utah made its own luck all night, three different scorers and a penalty taker who did not blink when asked to do it twice. Record-setting seasons are built on nights like this.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by BayFC.com; additional match details from the Utah Royals' official recap on RSL.com.