This Sunday, October 13, the San Diego Wave played the Houston Dash at Snapdragon Stadium for a match in the NWSL regular season.

With the season winding down, this was a must-win game against the last-place team in the league.

However, the Wave managed to get shut down by Houston in a very disappointing 2-0 loss at home. This was Jaedyn Shaw’s first start since July 5 in what has been a very irregular season for the USWNT star.

Shaw’s presence clearly made an impact with her talent and playmaking ability, but it was not enough to get on the board.

In the 25th minute, Naomi Girma tackled Houston’s Yuki Nagasoto inside of the penalty area. The play went to a VAR decision, and a penalty was awarded to the visitors at Snapdragon Stadium. Barbara Olivieri stepped up to take the penalty and executed it to perfection to give the Dash a 1-0 lead in the first half.

San Diego had 66 percent possession in the first half, but Houston was much more decisive on the offensive front. Landon Donovan brought on Delphine Cascarino and Perle Morroni in the 60th minute to try and make an impact on the match.

However, it was Houston’s substitution in the 65th minute when Ramona Bachmann came on for Belle Briede that made the impact. In the 71st minute, Barbara Olivieri stole the ball from Kristen McNabb and went on to assist Bachmann with the second goal of the match.

Bárbara Olivieri ➡️ Ramona Bachmann pic.twitter.com/uhB7hU8bVn

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 14, 2024

Bachmann received the sphere inside of the penalty area and was never going to miss from such close range. It was a careless error by McNabb in what was an embarrassing way to concede the second goal of the night.

Houston captain Jane Campbell had a perfect night between the sticks to shut out the San Diego Wave. San Diego’s consistent inconsistencies in the attack were present in this match, even with the return of Jaedyn Shaw.

There are only two games left in the NWSL regular season and only one of those games will be played at Snapdragon Stadium. The Wave will have to shift focus onto the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where they will host Club America at the “Snap” this Wednesday, October 16.

San Diego is not out of the playoff race just yet but can potentially be out of it with several different results next week.

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.