San Diego Wave Fútbol Club kicked off its inaugural season Saturday with a 1-1 draw against fellow Southern California expansion club Angel City at Titan Stadium in Orange County.
In the 81st minute, the Wave’s Kaleigh Riehl knocked the ball into goal off a corner kick by Marleen Shimmer at Cal State Fullerton.
The National Women’s Soccer League match was the first in a regional round-robin in the preseason Challenge Cup.
Wave head coach Casey Stoney said it “nowhere near was … our best performance.” But to come away with a draw showed a “helluva lot of resilience from our very, very young and experienced group.”
She said games with the Los Angeles club would be a rivalry that would continue to grow, “so that’s pleasing.”
In their seventh week of creating a new team, the coach called the match “one step in the right direction. Once everyone is fit and firing, we can really build on our team and our philosophy.”
Stoney said what most pleased her way the team’s fight after being down one-nil.
The Wave started the scoreless first half strongly with 56% of possession time.
The Wave put a lot of pressure on the host team and had several chances to score in the first half; meanwhile, goalie Kailen Sheridan repeatedly snuffed out attempts by Angel City — making five saves.
“I have to say I thought Kailen Sheridan showed the reason we signed her, and she was world class,” Stoney said.
San Diego had their first offensive threat in the 11th minute with a flurry of opportunities in front of goal from forwards Jodie Taylor, Amirah Ali and Katie Johnson.
The back-and-forth rhythm of the game continued in the 26’ when Angel City’s Christen Press got in behind San Diego’s defense and Sheridan came up with another big save.
Savannah McCaskill scored the first score of the match and first goal for the Angel City club in the 49th minute.
Following Riehl’s goal, Wave FC nearly took the lead a few minutes later in the 83rd minute following a low cross from Morgan that took a deflection and hit the near post.
Wave stars Alex Morgan and Abby Dahlkemper both were restricted to 45 minutes on the pitch because of recent injuries. Dahlkemper played in the first half, and Morgan was brought off the bench for the second.
“I hope from here on out, I will be able to gain more minutes and be unlimited,” Morgan said.
Stoney said of Morgan: “We look a lot more threatening when she was on the pitch.”
San Diego breathed sighs of relief as kicks by LA’s Christen Press and Tyler Lussi narrowly missed the goal. Press played on Stoney-coached Manchester United Women Football Club.
Morgan said she was very impressed with the younger players, five of whom played their first NWSL match.
“Naomi (Girma) kind of looks like more of a veteran than a rookie,” Morgan said. She also complimented Amirah Ali and Belle Briede for their first-match performances.
Speaking about the two California expansion teams, Morgan said at a postgame news conference: “It being the 10th season now of the NWSL, I think it was time for a team or multiple teams in California.
“I think it’s just great for soccer in California, but also I might be biased — I think Southern California is the mecca of youth soccer,” the veteran player said of her home region.
About the crowd in the stadium, Stoney said: “I couldn’t actually hear myself think because the music was so loud, and I thought the fans were incredible. The atmosphere was great. One of the best atmospheres I’ve coached in.”
Next Saturday, the Wave plays its first home match at 7 p.m. against the Portland Thorns at Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego.
