Despite forward Alex Morgan’s repeated attempts to shoot one into the net, the San Diego Wave Futbol Club suffered its first loss of the season, falling 1-0 to OL Reign in the 95th minute of the match.
At Lumen Field in Seattle, in the Wave’s first road trip of the season, it was a frantic night for goalkeepers as the match was held at 0-0 until almost the last minute.
Following a scoreless first half, it was a back-and-forth affair in the second half. Three minutes into the second half, San Diego nearly capitalized when forward Morgan made a run to the box and attempted a shot that was deflected by Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The save fell to the feet of Wave forward Amirah Ali and she found the feet of forward Jaedyn Shaw that required a second save from Tullis-Joyce.
San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan finished the night with four saves, including two significant ones to keep the game level in the 74th and 78th minutes.
However, Reign would secure the victory in extra time when midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt hit a one-time volley outside the box that found the back of the net despite Sheridan’s lunge for the ball.
Head coach Casey Stoney said after the match that it was “bitterly disappointing to concede in the manner that we did.”
However: “The players worked really hard this week. I thought the players created really good chances. I thought we played well in patches.”
The Wave returns to Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday to host reigning NWSL champion Portland Thorns FC, at 7 p.m. The team then will play its third game in a week against Angel City on Sunday, April 23, in BMO Stadium.
The Wednesday match kicks off the first game of the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, a league tournament with a prize pool of $1 million — viewable on Paramount+.
Asked what skills the team will work on after Saturday’s match, Stoney said the team barely had time to practice between matches because “the league joyfully off the back of an international window (scheduled) three games this week, which is ridiculous.”
Single-game tickets at Snapdragon Stadium are available here. The first 5,000 fans receive a limited edition Wave FC scarf, courtesy of Netflix’s new show “Queen Charlotte, a Bridgerton Story.”
