This Sunday, September 8, the San Diego Wave hosted the North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium. The game received international attention because it was Alex Morgan’s final professional game.

The pregame fanfare served as a great sending-off to one of the most influential footballers of all time. Little girls with signs for their idol flooded the stadium along with a plethora of soccer fans from the region. This generated an electric atmosphere in a cheerful but melancholic vibe at the “Snap” in a goodbye to a club legend and a legend of the sport. The icon stood there in the middle of the pitch along with her daughter as tears filled her face for this soon-to-be farewell.

Morgan had announced her retirement earlier in the week and had said this would be her final match. Morgan was in the starting lineup, but only played 13 minutes as it was previously announced that she would receive limited playing time.

Those 13 minutes turned out to be very exciting, with North Carolina getting a very early lead. Haley Hopkins scored in the fourth minute via a header inside of the penalty box off a corner kick by Malia Berkely. The marking on the play by the Wave was not great, as Hopkins managed to get away from her coverage easily.

In the 10th minute, the storybook ending presented itself for Alex Morgan with a penalty awarded to San Diego Wave. Morgan stepped up in her final moments on the pitch but missed the opportunity, with Casey Murphy stopping the chance. The USWNT superstar did not do a great job at striking the sphere in what appeared to be a very weak shot on goal.

Three minutes after that, San Diego tied the match with a corner-kick goal of their own. Kennedy Wesley connected a header off a cross by Maria Sanchez to make it a 1-1 game. Alex Morgan was able to celebrate with her teammates one last time, the final hurrah after leaving the sport she loves.

Morgan was subbed off in a powerful moment at Snapdragon Stadium. Every single one of Morgan’s teammates shared a moment with the San Dimas, Calif. native along with coaching staff and an extremely loud roar from the home crowd. After Morgan’s heartfelt ovation, the action continued on the field, with North Carolina getting a 2-1 lead in the 21st minute.

It was yet another corner kick goal, with Felicitas Rauch heading the ball off another cross by Malia Berkely. North Carolina and Berkely were not finished just yet, with the 26-year-old sending a pass to Bianca St-Georges, who finished the scoring opportunity to perfection. The first half was a heartbreaking one for the Wave, especially with Alex Morgan missing that penalty.

The Wave had some decent chance creation in the first half but failed to keep that going in the second half. San Diego was a bit better on the ball in the second half but was dormant on the offensive front. The game was completely lost in the 60th minute when Kailen Sheridan picked up a red card after wiping out her Canadian national team teammate Bianca St-Georges just outside of the penalty area.

The Wave severely struggled to generate much after that booking, and the Courage scored another goal. Meredith Speck made it a 4-1 scoreline via a very well-constructed goal. Olivia Wingate provided the assist as she found Speck inside of the penalty area.

This was no fairytale ending for Morgan’s career, but it is a minor detail in what has been an Immaculate career. Focusing on the present, this is a very bad result for a Wave team that is still technically in the playoff race.

Landon Donovan’s team will also now need to adjust after Alex Morgan’s retirement. San Diego will endure that first match without the former team captain on September 14 against Utah Royals away from home.

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.