The San Diego Wave faced off against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Wednesday at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. It was the second match of San Diego’s three games on the road stretch and the fifth match lost this season. Wednesday’s game was a big night for the rookies as two made their first NWSL career goals. The Wave were minutes away from leaving with another draw when a second goal from Gotham’s rookie Maycee Bell left the team walking away with zero points. The last match-up in May had ended in a draw.
Gotham dominated the first twenty minutes from the kickoff. Crystal Dunn and Rose Lavelle were the biggest threats against San Diego’s defense for the majority of the match.
Lavelle broke the stalemate and put Gotham ahead in the 45 +3’ with a 23-yard ball that left San Diego fighting to pull themselves together and score. She drove down the center unchallenged for nearly 15 yards. The clean shot flew past Kailen Sheridan and into the goal.
Just three minutes into the second half Wave rookie Mya Jones scored her first career goal to equalize the scoreboard. The Canadian forward intercepted a pass from Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and charged towards the goal after beating her defender. Jones shot a left-footed strike into the corner to keep the Wave in the game.
“I was like, all right, I have to put it in the back of the net,” Jones said reflecting on her first NWSL goal.
The momentum of San Diego seemed to change after Jones’ goal and the team showed some moments of brilliance as they worked to progress up the field and create better chances. Defensively, they kept up a strong backline and Naomi Girma made crucial blocks.
It seemed like San Diego would add another draw to their record. Sheridan had done a great job of saving Gotham’s shots on target. Defensively there was a concentrated effort to protect their attacking third by flooding defensive players to limit Gotham’s runs. But Gotham was constantly pushing back with a high press that eventually eroded the Wave’s backline.
After a foul-heavy second half, ten minutes of extra stoppage time was added. During these ten minutes, Gotham extended their winning streak (5) and the Wave continued their losses on the road (7). This time it was Gotham’s only rookie on the pitch, Maycee Bell that caused the stands to erupt in cheers. Bell received a cross, wrapping her leg around her defender Makenzy Doniak to get a touch and shoot it into the far corner.
San Diego now has now lost or drawn in every road game played thus far. This is the second match in a row that a late goal has changed the outcome. San Diego’s previous match against the Washington Spirit resulted in a draw because of a late goal.
“It’s devastating to lose to another late goal,” said Wave head coach Casey Stoney.
The Wave's Current State
There is confusion regarding why the Wave cannot seem to find the back of the net. The squad is strong defensively and stacked with world-class players including Naomi Girma and midfielder Savannah McCaskill. The team has been able to hold opponents to minimal scores and Kailen Sheridan is one of the best goalkeepers in the league. Tying her career-high saves in a match once again, she saved seven shots from Gotham.
Overall, the Wave has been making strides in finding their new identity as can be seen with their recent game against the Spirit. Offensively, they’ve created numerous chances within recent matches and have begun to connect passes better. And yet, San Diego seems plagued with poor finishes and the inability to break the past draws and losses.
“We need to do a deep dive on why we’re not winning games...it's my responsibility to make things better.”
Wave Head Coach Casey Stoney
Wednesday's game went in the complete opposite direction of recent progress. Rather than building on previous success, San Diego lacked the aggression and ball possession the team usually has. Against Gotham, the Wave had no shots on goal in the first half, fell seven shots behind (9-2), and were out-possessed by 22%. There were numerous turnovers and gaps that Gotham was quick to exploit.
“We made sloppy errors, technical errors,” Stoney said.
She added, “We got rushed and didn’t make good decisions. We kept turning the ball over, and they were hurting us. We spent too much time without the ball.”
The Wave (3-5-5) will face the Houston Dash on Saturday, June 22 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, TX. San Diego will hope to turn around the season and secure a win for their last on-the-road game this stretch.
