Another brace by Trinity Byars sparks the Wave offense to a three-goal second half that was won with a late goal by Kenza Dali.

San Diego Wave FC (12-7-3, 39 pts) ended their three-match August homestand with a 3-2 win against Racing Louisville FC (7-13-2, 23 pts).

Going into Friday’s matchup, San Diego had just come off a 4-2 win against the Utah Royals on Aug. 21st. Racing Louisville, meanwhile, had its four-game winning streak ended by the Chicago Red Stars in a 3-2 loss on Aug. 23. 

With only a little over two months left of the NWSL season, Friday night’s matchup was crucial to both teams for vastly differing reasons.

For San Diego, who find themselves near the top of the table, a win was crucial in remaining in the hunt for a shield win. Only one point separated teams in the second to sixth places leading into the weekend matches. Racing Louisville FC, meanwhile, finds itself in a battle for the final playoff spot, with only five points separating it from the other playoff bubble contenders.

The match on Friday was also the first time this season that both teams had faced off against each other. Louisville began the match hitting hard, appearing to be riding off the momentum of having won the last matchup between both teams back on Aug. 24, 2025, in a 1-0 win at Snapdragon Stadium.

Racing Louisville attacked with a strong offense that got them the opening goal during the 12th minute of the match.

Kayla Fischer went one-on-one with defender Kennedy Wesley before passing the ball to Lauren Milliet, who drove in the goal down the middle of the net. The Louisville offensive pressure continued when, during the 23rd minute, former Wave player Taylor Flint (née Kornieck during her time with the Wave) was able to convert a free kick into a goal with the assist by Arin Wright. By the end of the first half, the Wave were down 2-0 with what seemed to have been a defensive disaster for the Wave. 

However, the offense awoke during the second half of the match by none other than Trinity Byars. In the 47th minute, Byars gave the Wave offense the spark it needed with a shot from the penalty box arc into the net. Her ninth goal of the season would be short-lived, as in the 76th minute, she struck again with her tenth goal of the year. A corner kick by Kenza Dali ricocheted amongst players in the box until it ultimately found Byars for the equalizing goal. In her second game in a row, Byars recorded another brace, giving the Wave the chance for a comeback win. Then, in the 80th minute of the match, Kenza Dali completed the comeback with a shot from outside the 18-yard box to give the Wave the win.  

Friday’s win has given the Wave a 4-2-3 overall record against Racing Louisville FC.

The win also gave the Wave a boost in the standings, climbing up to second as of the moment, pending results from other games later in the weekend. Both the Wave and Racing Louisville will meet once more on Sept. 25th at Lynn Family Stadium, where San Diego will look to continue their search for their second NWSL shield. In the meantime, the Wave will now head up the coast on a one-game road trip to take on Seattle Reign FC at Lumen Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, with kickoff set for 6 pm PT.

Carlos Jimenez