San Diego Wave came out with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over NY/NJ Gotham FC on Sunday at Red Bull Arena, which ties the team, led by head coach Casey Stoney, on top of the NWSL standings alongside the Portland Thorns with 19 points.

The only goal of the game came in the 46th minute when Makenzy Doniak got behind the Gotham defense taking advantage of a great pass from teammate Jaedyn Shaw to beat goalkeeper Abigail Smith. Both players came on as substitutes after halftime.

“I think, overall, my impression right now is obviously proud and pleased for the team,” said Stoney. “I don’t think we were at our best in the first half, it probably took us 45 minutes to get going. We needed a little bit more quality on the ball, but then Jaedyn (Shaw) came on and showed her quality and Makenzy (Doniak) gets in behind. That’s why we call them game changers because that’s exactly what they did.”

The win is the third-straight over Gotham after San Diego took both last season, 4-0 and 3-0, respectively. The Wave has shutout three of its last four league opponents, not counting the 3-0 loss to OL Reign in Challenge Cup play on May 31, having only given up one goal over that span, which came in the 90th minute of a 1-1 draw versus Portland on May 26.

“We go into every game wanting a win,” Stoney added. “But we also know that we prioritize the league. It was a very conscious decision to rotate things on Wednesday night, but also, it was a very conscious decision to give certain people playing time, we’ve got a World Cup window coming up.”

San Diego now heads off to take on Racing Louisville on Friday, June 9, at Lynn Family Stadium.

Photo courtesy: San Diego Wave FC