San Diego Wave fell 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium thanks to a goal at the end of the first half by forward Ella Stevens.

The Wave, led by head coach Casey Stoney, was without the services of five key players, all of whom have been called up by their respective national teams including forward Alex Morgan and defender Naomi Girma, representing the USWNT in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Wave appeared to take the lead in the 42nd minute when forward Makenzy Doniak scored off a quick pass from teammate Rachel Hill inside the box, but midfielder Taylor Kornieck was ruled offside in the initial touch, which invalidated the goal.

San Diego created several chances in the second half to tie the game but was unable to get the ball from goalkeeper Emily Boyd. Wave goalkeeper Jessica Yáñez Couey, who filled in for Canadian national team player Kailen Sheridan, also stood firm in the final 45 minutes coming up with timely interventions to keep the visitors in the match.

The loss keeps San Diego Wave in sixth place of the NWSL standings with a home game versus fourth-place Washington Spirit on Saturday, July 8 at Snapdragon Stadium.

San Diego Loyal had to settle for a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw against Indy Eleven in Indianapolis on Saturday after taking a two-goal lead thanks to a penalty kick conversion from midfielder Charlie Adams in the 32nd minute and a close-range score by forward Evan Conway in the 54th minute.

The team, led by head coach Nate Miller, looked well on its way to a victory when Indy defender Gustavo Rissi was issued a red card in the 58th minute after taking down midfielder Adrien Perez on a breakaway opportunity.

Indy Eleven did not fold despite the apparently insurmountable odds. They managed to cut the Loyal lead in half after defender Kyle Adams was called for a foul inside the box on forward Solomon Asante with teammate Aodhan Quinn converting the ensuing penalty kick in the 58th minute. That play seemed to give the home team a breath of fresh air as it regained the momentum despite being a man down and getting the tying goal in the 82nd minute in a virtual repeat of the previous score only this time defender Elijah Martin called for the foul on Asante, which was again converted by Quinn.

San Diego Loyal goalkeeper Koke Vegas stepped up in the second half to prevent Indy Eleven from coming out with what would’ve been an incredible victory as both sides had to settle for one point. The Loyal now sit in seventh place in the USL Championship western conference standings a single point ahead of the Oakland Roots for the final playoff spot with a road match versus Hartford Athletic on July 8.

Albion San Diego came out with a 3-2 victory over Arenal de Gómez of the UPSL in an exhibition match held at Town Center Community Park of Santee on Saturday afternoon. The eventual game-winning score came courtesy of Albion midfielder Mateo Hincapie who has been one of the standout players for the team led by head coach Diego Gomez so far this NISA season.

Arenal de Gomez was eliminated from UPSL playoff contention on June 10 after a dramatic loss to Murrieta Soccer Academy at San Diego Mesa College. As for Albion San Diego, the team currently sits in third place in the NISA standings with a game versus LA Force at Canyon Crest Academy Stadium on Saturday, July 8.

The last time the two teams met was on April 23 in a 1-1 draw that saw Albion San Diego take the early lead with Los Angeles tying the match in the final minutes. Albion has 15 points after 10 games while LA Force has 14 points after eight matches both trailing league-leader Chattanooga FC which is currently undefeated with 27 points after 11 games.

Photos courtesy: San Diego Wave, San Diego Loyal, John Cocozza Photography