San Diego Wave end scoreless drought in 1-1 draw against Portland
Credit: Portland Thorns
The San Diego Wave visited the Portland Thorns at Providence Park for a game in the 2025 NWSL regular season this Saturday, September 20.
San Diego headed into this match on a rough four-game winless streak, having lost three of the last four games played.
The Wave were on a two-game losing streak, coming off a 2-0 loss against Gotham at home. The Wave ended this losing streak against Portland, but were still unable to get a win.
The offense has been the main concern for Jonas Eidevall in recent weeks, with a four-game goal drought prior to this match. Eidevall was forced to make two changes to his starting 11 as Delphine Cascarino and Kailen Sheridan were unavailable. The pair were replaced by Kimmi Ascanio and Didi Haracic.
These two changes, along with Kristen McNabb replacing Perle Morroni, were the changes made since the last game against Gotham.
This was expected to be a very tough away game, and it did turn out to be a very contested clash in the Pacific Northwest. The Wave controlled possession of the sphere and looked like the much better team in the opening 45 minutes.
The visitors had four shots on target in the first half as Portland only managed to scrape one shot on goal. However, the inconsistencies for the Wave in front of the net persisted in the first half.
Savannah McCaskill finally breaks the deadlock in the second half 👏 pic.twitter.com/RFgKtKzYpF
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 21, 2025
San Diego finally broke its scoring drought in the 56th minute of the second half with a goal by Savannah McCaskill. The veteran midfielder fired a very well-located shot from just beyond the penalty area to open the scoring at Providence Park.
It had been 466 minutes since the Wave last scored a goal, breaking a very frustrating streak for the Southern California side.
Didi Haracic made some key saves to help maintain the lead throughout this match, but Portland continued to press in the final minutes. A dangerous free kick was awarded to Portland in the 86th minute. Olivia Moultrie stepped up to take the opportunity and was denied by the crossbar.
However, Reyna Reyes was on the rebound to tap the ball in the back of the net and tie the game in the dying minutes of the encounter.
The goal left a sour taste for the Wave, but it was very important for San Diego to get back on the scoreboard. Despite recent struggles, San Diego is still fourth on the NWSL table and is just behind third-place Portland on goal differential.
The Wave will now return to Snapdragon Stadium to play the Orlando Pride on September 26. There are just five games left in the regular season and just two games left at home for San Diego.
Francisco, 28, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego FC, San Diego Wave. I have covered Liga MX, MLS, Mexico National Team, USWNT, Copa América and European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.