María Sánchez hat trick propels Wave to 3-2 comeback win
San Diego Wave FC
María Sánchez hat trick in the second half lifts San Diego Wave FC 3-2 over Portland Thorns in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, securing their 6th point in the tournament through two games.
Despite being down two goals early in the second half, the Wave did not relinquish. Statistically, they were more effective. San Diego more than doubled the shots (20) Portland had and more time of possession.
Two penalty kicks and a header by Sánchez within 20 minutes paved the way for the Wave.
“I’m really proud of María, and I’m really happy for her because she’s an incredible human being,” San Diego Wave FC interim head coach Landon Donovan said. “I genuinely enjoy being around her. She’s very humble, her teammates love her. She runs and works and puts in all the effort. She has so much quality like you saw tonight.”
San Diego Wave FC interim head coach Landon Donovan on María Sánchez hat trick performance against Portland Thorns @EVT_News: pic.twitter.com/mUBidTqjh0
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) September 19, 2024
The inaugural tournament consists of 10 teams divided into two groups. Clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean compete to qualify for the new FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.
Both teams won their first match in the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Their group includes Club América, Vancouver, and Santa Fe.
On one of Portland’s early attacks, Wave defender Hanna Lundkvist fell, leaving forward Sophia Smith with open grass along the left wing. Smith received a long pass across the pitch and shot toward the left post as she entered the box before Naomi Girma closed in and scored in the 25th minute.
“Sophia Smith might be the best striker in the world,” Donovan said. “So if you give her a chance, she’s going to score.”
Since Donovan took over in August, San Diego’s aggressive attack has led to multiple goals for the opposition.
“That’s the challenge when you play the way we play,” Donovan said about their transition defense. “In order to create a lot of chances, you’ve got to take risks, and you’ve got to put players higher up the field.”
Sophia Smith doing what she does best: scoring goals 💥#WChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/85A949CTp4
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) September 19, 2024
The Wave had plenty of opportunities to score in the first half, including in the 38th minute when Shelby Hogan blocked a point-blank shot from Delphine Cascarino.
At the beginning of the second half, the Thorns made three changes, including subbing out their goal-scorer, Smith. Portland’s head coach mentioned the decision to sub her out was injury-related.
After eight minutes, the Thorns quickly threw in a pass from out of bounds to midfielder Olivia Moultrie, sparking a fast break. With a San Diego defender trailing, Moultrie passed it to rookie forward Reilyn Turner. Turner, who was subbed in for Smith, gathered the ball in the middle of the box and scored on the right post.
“They took it quickly, and we kind of fell asleep,” Donovan said. He was also under the impression that it was their possession out of bounds.
Being down by two was a surprise due to San Diego’s strong performance. The two mistakes in the transition put them in that situation.
In the 67th minute of the match, San Diego was awarded a penalty kick.
Their best attacker entered the box to take the kick. Sánchez shot with her left foot toward the right side of the goal. Although Shelby Hogan guessed correctly, the ball went underneath her attempted block.
María Sánchez puts San Diego on the board with a penalty kick. Wave FC trails 2-1 to Portland Thorns FC. @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/rHGpD7BZcp
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) September 19, 2024
Two minutes later, Cascarino crossed the ball at the last second before leaving the pitch. The ball is placed directly behind the goalkeeper, and Sánchez headered it in for the brace to level the game.
A quick turn of events the few fans in attendance at Snapdragon Stadium expected.
“I give them so much credit during a really difficult year to put that behind them (early deficit) and just keep trusting the process,” Donovan said. “When you trust the process, the results take care of themselves.”
A couple of weeks ago against Angel City FC, San Diego was down by two goals early and Donovan sensed that the team felt defeated. He referenced this game in his post-game conference and noticed a clear difference in his players’ mentality.
With the game tied approaching the 90th minute, San Diego was awarded yet another penalty.
Portland Thorns head coach Rob Gale believes both penalties that San Diego was awarded shouldn’t have been counted @EVT_News: pic.twitter.com/RmqFgFUmVp
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) September 19, 2024
Round two of the penalties between Hogan-Sánchez with five minutes left before added time. Hogan guesses incorrectly this time, and Sánchez completes the hat trick.
“The confidence that we’ve had these past couple of weeks, the training’s that we’ve had have been really good,” Sánchez said. “That shift of mentality, and Landon has come in and done a really good job of that as well.”
María Sánchez hat trick! San Diego takes a 3-2 lead in the 85th minute after trailing Portland for most of the game. @EVT_News pic.twitter.com/OOspyYLrCU
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) September 19, 2024
“It would’ve been really, really cruel to lose that game,” Donovan said. “We deserved to win and win by a lot.”
San Diego’s next Concacaf W Champions Cup group stage game is on October 1 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The Wave’s next NWSL game is on Saturday, Sept. 21, against the Chicago Red Stars.
