Game: San Diego Wave vs Bay FC

Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

When: Saturday, April 27, 2024

Time: 7:00 p.m. PST

TV: ion

The San Diego Wave will play their first-ever official match against Bay FC this Saturday, April 27, at Snapdragon Stadium for a game in the sixth matchday of the NWSL regular season.

San Diego faced Bay FC in the preseason in Coachella, Calif, but this will be the first competitive meeting between both California-based teams.

The Wave has struggled massively to open the season with only one win from four games played, coming off a highly disappointing 1-0 loss to Orlando Pride on the road. San Diego had not previously struggled to generate offensive play but came up with very low production against Orlando, only producing one shot on target in the match.

Injuries have suddenly become a massive problem for the Wave, with Alex Morgan, Melanie Barcenas, and Sofia Jakobsson all unavailable for the match against Bay FC. Naomi Girma returned from an injury against the Pride and is healthy for this game, but the already struggling offense will face some problems with those absences. However, Maria Sanchez recently joined San Diego and is all set to debut against Bay FC, but it is unclear if she will be in the starting lineup.

Jaedyn Shaw has had a very slow start to the 2024 season and will need to step it up in this match with Alex Morgan and Sofia Jakobsson sidelined. Savannah McCaskill has done a very fine job of generating offensive play and it will be interesting to see her role with the key absences in the front line.

Bay FC has two wins and three losses from five games played, coming off a massive 5-2 loss against Kansas City Current away from home. Kayla Sharples currently leads the team from Oakland with two goals scored, but there are some very intriguing players on Bay FC  like Venezuelan star Deyna Castellanos and former Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala on the squad.

Bay FC has plenty of potential and has shown that as this game has the potential to be a very hard-fought match at the Mission Valley fortress. San Diego’s offense has been underwhelming, but Bay FC has allowed the second-most goals in the NWSl this season, as this is also potentially a massive opportunity for the Wave’s attack to shine despite the absences.

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.