Bay FC adds former Berkeley High star goalie for second-half push

Bay FC bolstered its roster for the second half of the NWSL season on Friday, signing Bay Area native Leah Freeman.

Freeman, who was a first-team All-American goalie at Berkeley High, will be available to play in the team’s Summer Series Friendlies, which begin Saturday at 1:30 against Angel City at PayPal Park.

This is the first professional contract for the 23-year-old Freeman, who earned Pac-12 Goalie of the Year honors at Oregon in 2023 before transferring to Duke, where last season she was named the ACC Goalie of the Year. She was teammates with Bay FC midfielder Hannah Bebar at Duke, helping the Blue Devils to the 2024 NCAA College Cup semifinals.

“I’m incredibly excited to sign with Bay FC and return to the Bay Area as I take this next step in my career,” Freeman said in a release issued by the team. “It’s an amazing opportunity to join a club that’s building something special, and I’m grateful to be part of it. I’m looking forward to learning from the experienced goalkeepers on the roster, growing every day, and doing whatever I can to help the team succeed.”

Bay FC is tied for 10th in the NWSL with 15 points. They are 4-6-3, and with 13 regular-season games remaining are just three points out of eighth place.

Jordan Silkowitz has been Bay FC’s primary goalie, starting 11 NWSL games and making 33 saves while allowing 14 goals. Emmie Allen started the other two NWSL games, making four saves and allowing three goals.

“We’re excited to welcome Leah Freeman to Bay FC,” coach Albertin Montoya said in the release. “She’s a talented young goalkeeper with tremendous upside, and we have full confidence in her ability to contribute to our team. With Leah joining our group, we feel really strong about the depth and competition we have in our goalkeeper unit moving forward.”

Freeman’s arrival comes two days after the team announced it had acquired forward prospect Onyeka Gamero for an undisclosed transfer fee from Spanish club FC Barcelona, pending receipt of her international transfer clearance. The 19-year-old Gamero, a native of Cerritos, committed to Stanford two years ago but signed with FC Barcelona B in 2023.

Saturday’s game will be Bay FC’s first since a 2-1 loss to Gotham FC on June 21. The league hits pause in July to accommodate international competitions. Bay FC also has a friendly against Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan on July 27 at PayPal Park. They return to NWSL play Aug. 2 against 12th-place Houston.