This Saturday, May 20, the San Diego Wave played the last of a three-game road trip before returning to Snapdragon Stadium against the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium. The 3-0 victory turned out to be a very memorable one, as there were several key moments for the Wave throughout the match.

Just two minutes into the match, Alex Morgan scored her fastest goal ever as she made it a 1-0 game, taking advantage of enormous defensive mistakes by Houston. The Dash defenders could not get a hold of the ball after a header by Rachel Hill that ended up finding Alex Morgan, who surpassed even goalkeeper Jane Campbell to open the scoring.

THE FASTEST GOAL OF ALEX MORGAN’S @NWSL CAREER 💙 pic.twitter.com/j8zkVR0mFZ

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) May 21, 2023

This was the first record of the night as the score remained 1-0 until the 58th minute of the match when Sierra Enge scored her first-ever goal in professional soccer. Danielle Colaprico executed a corner that was deflected, then Jaedyn Shaw passed the sphere to Sofia Jakobsson, who passed the ball to Enge, who shot and found the back of the net. This was Enge’s second career game in the NWSL regular season, and she played a significant role in the win against Houston.

In the 62nd minute, Madison Pogarch came on to replace Danielle Colaprico as Casey Stoney looked to maintain the lead. Instead of maintaining it, the lead was increased in the 79th minute, as Pogarch scored her first-ever NWSL goal. Sofia Jakobsson fired a corner kick into the penalty area that found Alex Morgan, who headed the ball to Madison Pogarch, who was able to strike the ball magnificently in the half-moon to make it a 3-0 score.

LET’S FREAKING POOOOO#VamosWave pic.twitter.com/vfQvhYpRof

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) May 21, 2023

The Wave were extremely unlucky not to extend their lead even further, as Jane Campbell finished the match with four saves. Alex Morgan had a goal and an assist in the match but also had three shots on target, as she was unlucky on a few, including a shot that hit the top of the crossbar in the 66th minute. Morgan kept a consistent attack in the full 90 minutes of play and was a constant threat to the Dash backline.

Kailen Sheridan was not tested much in the game, as she was only required to make one save in her clean sheet. Taylor Kornieck came back from her injury, coming in the 87th minute to replace Sofia Jakobsson, as it will be very interesting to see how Casey Stoney sets her team in the coming weeks with players like Jakobsson, Rachel Hill, and Sierra Enge playing at a consistent level.

The Wave are now top of the NWSL with 15 points at the time of writing. However, by the end of the weekend, OL Reign, Gotham, and Portland all have the potential to surpass San Diego on the league table.

San Diego returns home after a long road trip to face the Portland Thorns at Snapdragon Stadium on Friday, May 26. The Wave will then play a second consecutive game at the Mission Valley fortress as they host OL Reign on Wednesday, May 31, in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, 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 Loyal, San Diego Wave.