The San Diego Wave will travel to take on the NWSL defending champion Gotham FC for the third time this season on Wednesday. This comes after splitting points with the Washington Spirit on June 15 in a 1-1 draw occurring only seconds away from a victory. SD Wave took the lead in the 20th minute courtesy of Jaedyn Shaw, but saw the Spirit score practically at the death on a goal from midfielder Croix Bethune. Shaw also broke Trinity Rodman’s NWSL record as a teen which was 12 goals. The upcoming match versus Gotham FC is the second in a three-game road trip that will conclude on Saturday, June 22 against the Houston Dash.

The team, led by head coach Casey Stoney, beat Gotham 1-0 at Red Bull Arena in the Challenge Cup final on March 15 and then tied 1-1 at Snapdragon Stadium on May 12 with scores from forward Ella Stevens and Hanna Lundkvist. 

The Wave currently sit in ninth-place of the standings with 14 points after 12 matches while Gotham FC comes in as the fourth-seed with 24 points. Gotham FC sports a four-game winning streak and haven’t suffered a defeat since April 20. SD Wave comes in having scored 11 goals and given up the same amount while Gotham has scored 14 goals and given up only eight, which is the best in terms of scoring defense in the league. San Diego Wave will play the Chicago Red Stars on June 28 at Snapdragon Stadium hoping to come in with back-to-back wins as it tries to get back among the top-eight who will earn a playoff spot this season.