San Diego Wave back on track with 3-2 win over Houston Dash
Credit: NWSL
The San Diego Wave visited the Houston Dash for a game in the 2025 NWSL regular season this Friday, June 13.
The Wave were coming off a 2-1 loss to Seattle that ended a six-game undefeated streak.
San Diego came back to winning ways in this road game against Houston with an impressive victory. The Wave were clearly the better team from the initial whistle with more possession and much more shots in the first half than the opposition.
DALI DOES IT ALL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7udF753wGk
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) June 14, 2025
Kenza Dali scored the opening goal of the match in the 17th minute via a goal off a shot from inside of the penalty box. Dali started the scoring drive from before the halfway point of the field in what was a very impressive individual effort by the French midfielder.
In the 35th minute, the Southern California side extended its lead with a goal by Adriana Leon. Hanna Lundkvist made a wonderful interception and provided a perfect cross into the box to find Leon and make for the direct scoring play.
The high pressure on Houston’s backline really allowed Lundkvist to come up with the ball in the final third.
Houston finished the first half with no shots on target, while San Diego had six shots on target in the opening 45 minutes. The Wave continued to provide a very competitive effort in the second half and immediately made an impact at the start of the second half.
In the 50th minute, Delphine Cascarino whipped a cross into the box that Maria Sanchez headed into the back of the net. The Mexican international made it a 3-0 game, but Houston did not give up without a fight.
Delph serves it up for Sánchez 🎯 pic.twitter.com/VdiBLUuSuA
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) June 14, 2025
Barbara Olivieri scored from a potent shot from outside the box in the 61st minute. Yazmeen Ryan then scored in the 67th minute to make it a 3-2 game. The goal came from a spectacular individual effort by Ryan, filled with plenty of errors by the Wave backline.
After that goal, Jonas Eidevall made the last two substitutions of the match and replaced Kimmi Ascanio and Adriana Leon with Melanie Barcenas and Makenzy Doniak.
The changes helped San Diego hold onto the lead and come away with the valuable three points on the road. The Wave were clearly the better team on the pitch, really doing much more on the ball than the home team.
San Diego is now in third place on the NWSL table at the time of writing. The Wave will host the Washington Spirit at Snapdragon Stadium on June 22.
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.