Bay FC officials have been hoping that their expansion team wouldn’t take long to excite local soccer enthusiasts and quickly develop a loyal fanbase to cheer them on at PayPal Park.

Entering their home opener undefeated would be one way to build anticipation among the fanbase.

The club’s debut last weekend, a 1-0 win over Angel City FC, couldn’t have gone much better, and on Saturday Bay FC will face the Washington Spirit on the road with a chance to begin its inaugural season with two wins before even playing a home game.

Here are a few things we learned from the opener that could impact this game (4:30 p.m., ION):

ATTACKING MINDSET >> On paper, Bay FC was out-possessed 60-40 by Angel City and allowed twice as many shots (19 to eight) and twice as many corner kicks (12 to six) as it created.

While the stats may suggest Bay FC sat back and defended, it did not: Head coach Albertin Montoya’s team spread the field horizontally and vertically and played a wide-open, fast-paced style of play that relied on speed and stamina.

The players pressed high up the pitch, pushing numbers forward and swarming opposing players whenever they were out of possession.

It was a dangerous way to play — “the soccer gods were with us today,” Montoya said afterward -- but it made for an exciting game full of scoring chances and last-second saves from the Bay FC defense.

Meanwhile, Washington was outshot 15-2 in a 1-0 loss to Seattle Reign FC in its opening game despite having 51% possession, an indication that the Spirit may take a defensive posture on Saturday.

ADJUSTING ON THE FLY >> Bay FC did not play its intended style.

How did Bay FC lure some of the world’s top players to Northern California to join an expansion team in its first season of play? In large part due to Montoya’s sales pitch: Come play a creative, fun, possession-based style of football that gives its players freedom to make decisions.

But Bay FC had so little of the ball last weekend that the team spent most of the game playing defense.

“Angel City did a very good job defending us, creating problems for us,” Montoya said afterward. “We were trying to solve them. That’s a work in progress. I told our organization and players, it’ll take time for us to dominate the ball.”

“This is a new team, everyone is coming from different clubs, a different environment,” said star striker Asisat Oshoala, who scored the game-winning goal. “We only had six or seven weeks to train together. And some of us missed a bunch of that as well.”

Oshoala, the 29-year-old two-time Ballon d’Or Award finalist, made an immediate impact as the best part of the team’s attack. Beyond her stunning 17th-minute goal, she rarely lost a 50-50 ball, and was clearly the most dangerous player on the field.

As she develops chemistry with wingers Tess Boade and Scarlett Camberos — and soon, star forward Racheal Kundananji, the most expensive acquisition in women’s soccer history — expect Oshoala to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

SOLID DEFENSE >> Bay FC was one of only three NWSL teams to shut out its opponent on opening weekend.

Much of the credit belongs to veteran center backs Emily Menges and Kayla Sharples, who controlled the back line, clogged holes and made sure Angel City attackers rarely got a second chance on goal.

Meanwhile, outside backs Caprice Dydasco, one of the league’s most experienced players, and rookie Savy King, a 19-year-old who was the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, were exceptional, winning almost every one-on-one and playing mistake-free soccer in their own third.

Montoya called King’s performance “world-class,” as she was one of five teenagers to start on opening weekend in the NWSL.

Goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx took over the job after Melissa Lowder suffered a season-ending knee injury the week before the opener and stepped up big on Sunday: She made eight saves, tying an NWSL record for a goalie making her debut.

The 24-year-old keeper’s ability to stay calm and use her feet to distribute the ball will give Bay FC a lot of confidence going forward.