San Diego Wave regained the top spot in the NWSL standings with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dash on Sunday evening at Snapdragon Stadium. The Wave took full advantage after Houston went down a player when defender Michelle Alozie fouled midfielder Rachel Hill on a turnover that turned into a breakaway scoring chance for the home team.
Wave then created constant chances throughout with forward Jaedyn Shaw eventually capitalizing in the 57th minute on a quick pass from defender Christen Westphal as the 18-year-old phenom got around the Houston defense and beat goalkeeper Jane Campbell.
“To get three wins in a row in this league is really difficult and not something that teams do too often,” said Wave assistant coach Louis Hunt. “The fact that we’ve been able to do it after the run that we were on prior is massive and it puts us in a really strong position.”
Hunt took over head coaching duties for the game after Casey Stoney was issued a red card late in the match versus Orlando Pride on Aug. 25.
The Wave also had its entire squad playing for the first time in over two months with the return of forward Sofia Jakobsson and midfielder Emily van Egmond who were the last players missing due to FIFA Women’s World Cup duties with their respective national teams. Wave got another outstanding performance from goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan who had limited interventions thanks to the outstanding play from the defensive backline in combination with considerable control by the midfielders in terms of possession and winning loose balls.
San Diego will now take on the Kansas City Current on Saturday, Sept. 16 in hopes of extending its winning streak with four matches left in the regular season.
San Diego Loyal came out with a dominating 3-0 victory over the Birmingham Legion on Sunday afternoon at Torero Stadium thanks to goals from midfielder Blake Bodily in the 18th minute, forward Tumi Moshobane in the 39th minute, and midfielder Collin Martin in the 84th minute.
Goalkeeper Koke Vegas also earned his first clean sheet since the 2-0 victory over the Colorado Switchbacks on July 30 as the team, led by head coach Nate Miller, now sits in fourth place in the USL Championship Western Conference standings. This would guarantee SD Loyal a first-round home match in the playoffs if the season ended today as it has 43 points after 26 games, which is only three points behind Orange County SC, but having played one less match than the northern rival.
If San Diego Loyal can finish in the top two spots it will guarantee itself a first-round bye in the postseason with only eight matches remaining in the regular season. The Loyal will play its next game on Sept. 9 against the Charleston Battery in the first of a three-match road trip followed by a return home to take on the Las Vegas Lights on Sept. 24.
Photos by David Frerker, San Diego Loyal
