The league-leading San Diego Wave Fútbol Club seeking its fifth victory in six National Women’s Soccer League regular-season games, dropped a game to the OL Reign Sunday in Seattle.
The 1-0 loss came courtesy of Rose Lavelle, whose diving header in the 75th minute gave OL Reign the win. Wave FC mustered a season-low six shots as the team suffered its second shutout this season.
San Diego (4-2-0) and Seattle (2-1-3) met twice in the NWSL Challenge Cup with OL Reign winning 3-1 April 14 at home and the teams tying, 1-1, April 23 at Torero Stadium.
“I actually thought for large periods of the game, we controlled it. Albeit, we didn’t really create enough chances with the amount of control we had,” Wave FC coach Casey Stoney said.
The game matched goalkeepers who had shared the league lead with three shutouts – Wave FC’s Kailen Sheridan and OL Reign’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce. Tullis-Joyce has recorded three consecutive shutouts, part of a 300-minute shutout streak.
Sheridan’s 0.40 goals against average is the best in the league, while Tullis-Joyce is fourth with a 0.80 goals against average.
Wave FC forward Alex Morgan has scored a league-leading six goals, the second player in the NWSL’s nine regular seasons with six or more goals through her first six games of a season, joining Christen Press.
OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe and Morgan were teammates on the 2015 and 2019 U.S. teams that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In addition, Seattle rookie midfielder Marley Canales was the 2014-15 San Diego Section Player of the Year when she played for Westview High School. She also played for the San Diego Surf Soccer Club.
Wave FC returns to action Saturday when they travel to take on Kansas City Current, winless through their first five matches (0-4-1).
Updated 4:45 p.m. May 29, 2022