San Diego Wave seek first home win in over two months vs. Washington Spirit
Credit: Nicole Noel/ EVT Sports
Wave work to end losing run
The ice-cold San Diego Wave will take on a scuffling Washington Spirit side on Saturday, as each team desperately needs to get back to winning ways. The Wave have lost four in a row, and they’ve been the worst NWSL team over the last five matches.
It’s not been much better for the visiting Spirit, who have lost three of their last four, including a 3-0 loss to the Orlando Pride in their last match. Each of the two teams started the season well, so they both still sit in the playoff spots, but they’ll need to right the ship quickly.
Last Time Out
It was a very frustrating loss for the Wave in their last match, as they lost 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars, who are last in the NWSL. The Wave dominated the match, out-shooting the Red Stars 15-8, while also controlling 61% of the possession. Chicago came into the match having conceded the most goals in the NWSL, but an Alex Morgan-less attack couldn’t find a way to get on the scoresheet. Rachel Hill hit the post early, Makenzy Doniak had a goal ruled out after she was offside, and some sloppy defending late in the first half doomed the Wave to losing a very winnable match.
Meet the Washington Spirit
The Spirit sit fourth in the NWSL, partly thanks to a 3-1 win over the Wave back in May. Washington dominated that match, as San Diego managed just four shots in the entire match. Washington will also be without six players due to the Women’s World Cup, as striker Trinity Rodman, attacking midfielder Ashley Sanchez, defensive midfielder Andi Sullivan, and goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury are all part of the U.S. national team. They’ll also be without Riley Tanner, who is Panamanian and Marisssa Sheva, who is Irish. All four Americans are regular starters for the Spirit, so it’ll be a real challenge for Washington to adapt. Most of their offense will need to come from San Dimas, Calif. native Ashley Hatch, who’s scored seven times in 14 matches this season. She won the 2021 NWSL golden boot, and she’ll be a player to watch on Saturday.
Both sides have struggled without their regular starters who are at the World Cup, but they’ll need to adapt quickly if they’re going to stay afloat without their stars. Casey Stoney’s side has struggled for the last month, and they’ll need to find a way to change that without Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma, and Kailen Sheridan. It’s a big task for the Wave, but they’ll need to find a way.
Sam is a Senior in High School. He has been writing for three years, and started at EVT in June of 2021. He’s headed to Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall of 2023.