San Diego Wave and North Carolina Courage finish in scoreless draw
Credit: Tik Toc Photos/ EVT Sports
The San Diego Wave hosted North Carolina Courage for the final match of the 2022 NWSL season. This was an important match as the Wave did everything they could to try and earn a first-round bye for the postseason.
Last Sunday, San Diego Wave FC clinched a spot in the 2022 NWSL Playoffs and became the first expansion team in league history to achieve this feat in their inaugural season.
The top six teams make it to the postseason, with the top two seeds earning a bye. San Diego headed into this match 4th in the standings and is now third after gaining one point at home. SD’s record is (10-6-6) with 36 points and a (+11) goal difference.
This match didn’t provide much action. Neither side could score a goal or really create many chances.
NC controlled the match for the most part. They attempted 15 shots with three on target, while the Wave attempted seven with just two on target. The Courage controlled 58% of the possession and didn’t give the Wave much of a chance to take the lead.
Late in the match, the Courage were threatening to score, and keeper Kailen Sheridan saved a shot that could have given NC the lead in stoppage time.
officially 8 clean sheets in 18 games for @Kailen_Sheridan this season.#WaveFC | @plinqit pic.twitter.com/Cv9f32dJCE
— x – San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) October 1, 2022
That was Sheridan’s 52nd save of the season.
Wave star Alex Morgan didn’t travel with the team as she is dealing with a knee injury. Clearly, her presence was missed as the offensive attack was nowhere to be found.
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Forward Alex Morgan leads the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot race with 15 goals in 17 matches played and is trailed by Portland’s Sophia Smith with 12 goals. Morgan recently scored her 50th career regular season goal on August 20 against the Houston Dash, becoming the 5th player in NWSL history to hit this milestone.
San Diego remains in 4th place for the time being as the rest of the NWSL finishes up this weekend. Stay tuned for who the Wave will face in the first round of the playoffs.
Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and now covers San Diego State Men’s Basketball. He also contributes regularly about the Padres. Chris is an athlete and is a huge fan of San Diego sports.