Despite holding possession for three-quarters of the first half, Wave FC and the Stars went to the locker rooms knotted at 0-0.

SAN DIEGO — The rookie Lia Godfrey broke the scoring drought in the 56′, assisted by Dudinha. This is Godfrey’s third straight game finding the back of the net. Coach Jonas Eidevall joins the rest of the NWSL in taking note of her goal-scoring ability.

“It’s obviously… not bad, right?” Eidevall said with a chuckle. “I think she has had a really good start to life as a pro.”

60% possession in a game against a top NWSL contender reminded Eidevall of their first game loss to Houston. After that match, he noted that more energy and aggressiveness would be required in the box.

So when Melanie Barcenas scored in the 72nd minute after subbing in a few minutes prior, the growth from game one was visible. Barcenas has now scored in back-to-back games and was thrilled about making an impact for the club.

“It means a lot to do it here,” Barcenas said. “Bringing my flair is what I hope to do every time I step out on the field. I want to make it exciting and make fans want to come back every game.”

The bench unit is making consistent contributions, and it isn’t just on the offensive side.

The fresh legs and energy also helped goalkeeper Leah Freeman score a clean sheet in her start. The former Blue Devil has been strong since stepping into the starting role.

The Brazilian Difference Makers

Both goals tonight came off Dudinha’s assists. With those, she is responsible for the 300th goal contribution from a Brazilian player in the NWSL. The forward has contributed in the last three matches, all of which were wins. To Dudinha, it’s the latter part of that sentence that really matters.

“[translated] The most important thing for us is that the team wins,” Dudinha said. “I’m very happy to contribute with goals and assists… we work really hard [for them] in training and preseason.”

The other Brazilians on the Wave, Ludmila and Gabi Portilho, are also consistent presences. Portilho created a few scoring opportunities after the team went up by two.

They will soon be joined by another Brazilian who poses an even greater potential threat to San Diego’s opponents: Catarina Macario.

Macario made her formal introduction to Snapdragon Stadium tonight and stayed after to sign some autographs for fans.

Her debut with the club has still not been announced, in part because Macario’s health is not 100%. Coach Eidevall says the team is playing the long game with her, which checks out alongside the record-breaking $8 million contract that stretches through 2030.

“This is important for us that we’re taking good decisions,” Eidevall said. “We just started to work together, and everything is progressing really well.”

Next for the Wave

San Diego Wave FC will be on the road for the entirety of April, with three games scheduled. They’ll be starting in the east in Boston on April 3, then head to Denver on April 25, and finish out the road stretch in Portland on April 29.

With 9 points registered in their last three games, the Wave have a chance to make it 12 before getting some needed rest.

“It’s not as easy as it looks to refresh and recover so quickly,” Coach Eidevall said.

San Diego sits atop the NWSL alongside Angel City, Seattle, and the recently defeated Portland Thorns.

Nate Tubbs

Nate Tubbs is a recent graduate of Journalism at San Diego State University. In his time at SDSU, he wrote and photographed several different sports for Aztec Link, the school’s NIL collective. He also co-hosted a weekly podcast featuring Aztec athletes, sharing their stories and goals for the season. Tubbs is passionate about photography, storytelling, and most of all, San Diego sports.