As the saying goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

During its 11-game winless streak, and the six-game scoreless streak that accompanied it in recent weeks, there were a couple in which Monterey Bay F.C. probably deserved to come out on top. A scoreless draw two weeks ago against Orange County SC stands out, where the side dominated possession and chances, but was stymied in a scoreless draw.

“I think the guys are pretty bummed, actually,” said MBFC winger Walmer Martinez at the time. “I think we deserved all three points.”

On the balance of play, that couldn’t be said on Friday night. Phoenix Rising FC consistently created the better opportunities, including an onslaught of 10 consecutive shots to close out the game in the final 20 minutes and stoppage time.

It didn’t matter. For the first time in a while, the breaks went Monterey Bay’s way, allowing the visitors at Phoenix Rising Stadium to emerge with a 2-1 victory that earned Head Coach Jordan Stewart his first win at the helm. Serving as some kind of narrative perfection, it came against the last team he suited up for in the professional ranks.

• END THE DROUGHT: What mattered more than anything to Monterey Bay was breaking the six-game scoreless streak that had put it in range of setting an unwanted USL Championship record. Mobi Fehr’s long-range effort which took a wicked deflection off a defender to wrong-foot Rising goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo saw the visitors avoid that ignominy, ending the streak at 557 minutes.

• THE UPSIDE DOWN: Things got worst for Ríos Novo right before halftime. After a Monterey Bay corner, MBFC’s Carlos Guzmán banged a shot hard into the ground that saw it loop high toward goal. After letting the ball bounce once in the box, Ríos Novo saw the ball slip through his hands under minimal pressure from Pierce Gallaway, resulting in an own goal and the first two-goal outing for MBFC since August 17, the last time the side had scored.

Monterey Bay could have added to its lead in the second half when a well-constructed move set up Christian Volesky for a close-range chance that clipped the outside of the right post.

But from then on, the desperation to hold on for a first win since July took over. Phoenix carried almost all the play as it looked to find a way back into the game, and the hosts grabbed a lifeline with six minutes to go on Dariusz Formella’s first time finish. The ensuing melee as Rising players tried to get the ball back to the center circle as Monterey Bay goalkeeper Carlos Herrera clutched the ball in his net highlighted the tension.

Monterey Bay’s desperation came to the fore again as the side tried to begin killing time in the left corner of Phoenix’s end before five minutes of stoppage time had even kicked in. There was a playoff race to be rejoined, and MBFC was prepared to do about anything to get there.

And, at the last, it almost went completely wrong. A neat piece of interplay between Juan Carlos Azocar and Pape Mar Boye set up Azocar for a clear shooting opportunity from the top of the penalty area. His shot flashed the wrong side of the right post, and Monterey Bay breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Whether this result will be enough to get Monterey Bay into a realistic position to make the playoffs is questionable. The side only has three games to play, two of which come against top-three opposition in Sacramento Republic FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, and its underlying numbers under Stewart overall haven’t offered much in the way of confidence things could come good.

The bigger story coming out of the night, in fact, might be Phoenix’s travails. The defending title holders have lost three games in a row for the first time since 2022 – when it missed the postseason – with the last two coming at home after a nine-game home undefeated streak prior.

But for Monterey Bay, its playoff odds were something to worry about on Monday.

On Friday night, they walked away a winner for the first time in 90 days.

That’s good enough for now.