San Diego Wave FC delivered an exciting home opener against Utah Royals FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night.

With a three-goal win, the San Diego Wave secured three points.

First Half Begins

San Diego Wave FC opened the first half with an early goal from María Sánchez, assisted by a cross from Gia Corley.

Kenza Dali set up the play with a brilliant box-to-box run that had the crowd roaring with excitement. 

SÁNCHEZ STRIKES FOR SD pic.twitter.com/bGj08yyM52

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) March 23, 2025

The Wave dominated in the first half, creating opportunities and maintaining possession through the midfield.

Delphine Cascarino earned cheers from the fans for her creative runs up the right side of the pitch. The team perfectly balanced passing with dribbling to maintain possession and control the pace of the game. The Wave earned five set pieces in the first 15 minutes, with four corners and one free kick. 

The Utah Royals had a couple of opportunities to counterattack but lost possession or were closed down by the defensive line. When the visitors tried to build plays from their goal, the Wave midfield made it look easy to win the ball back. 

Towards the end of the first half, the Wave set up a goal nearly identical to the first, except this time, Delphine Cascarino crossed the ball to set up Adriana Leon.

The drive by Delphine Cascarino
The finish by Adriana Leon pic.twitter.com/H7q0qLZ9ZN

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 23, 2025

With only five minutes remaining in the half, the San Diego Wave slowed the pace of the game, maintaining possession and limiting high-risk passes. The Utah Royals left the field for halftime looking frustrated, unable to create anything meaningful offensively in the first half. 

San Diego Wave leads 2-0 at halftime

The Utah Royals came out stronger in the second half with the help of former San Diego Wave player Madison Pogarch. The visitor’s press challenged the Wave more, and they seemed stronger and quicker than in the first half. The Royals capitalized on a set piece, bringing the score to 2-1. 

San Diego Wave FC coach Jonas Eidevall brought on substitutes Carusa and Barcenas to replace Leon and Cascarino. The two substitutes’ fresh legs immediately revitalized the Wave’s energy, but not fast enough to prevent another Utah Royals goal from the center of the box. 

The Wave responded quickly. After a shaky goal kick from Amanda McGlynn, Gia Corley steals the ball and shoots the ball into the back of the net. The Wave leads again 3-2.

YOU CAN’T STOP CORLEY pic.twitter.com/j3Y3q51ssE

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) March 23, 2025

Jonas Eidevall made two more substitutions, bringing off Corley and Sánchez for Doniak and Ascanio. Despite replacing all three forwards and the attacking midfielder, the Wave were unable to score any more goals. However, the fans and team were delighted with San Diego’s win in the first home game of the season.

In the first half, the Wave dominated the possession and controlled the game with creative plays. The second half was a different story. Coach Jonas Eidevall said,  “We were not very good in the second half, we were a little bit too slow.” Ultimately, the result is the important part, and while the team is still developing, Eidevall said, “It was really nice to win in the way we did… to play in front of our home fans and showcase what kind of team we want to be.” The Wave fans have a lot to look forward to this season.

Jenny Furrer

Jenny is a San Diego native, athlete, and local sports fanatic. She covers San Diego FC and San Diego Wave.