The San Diego Wave kept its road win streak in tact Sunday with its 1-0 victory against NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
With the win, San Diego (6-3-1, 19 points) is now tied for first with Portland in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Head coach Casey Stoney said she was proud of the team’s effort in the second half.
“I think keeping a clean sheet against this side is very difficult,” she said. “I’m ultimately really, really proud of this squad and what they’ve been able to achieve this week.”
The Wave broke the first half 0-0 tie just 44 seconds into the second half when midfielder Makenzy Doniak scored her second goal of the season less than a minute after entering the game.
The play started when fellow second-half substitute forward Jaedyn Shaw played a ball past Gotham’s backline to Doniak. Doniak raced towards goal and took a touch past Gotham’s goalkeeper Abby Smith and hit a low left-footed shot to put San Diego ahead 1-0.
About Doniak’s goal, Stoney said: “A fantastic goal, one she’s definitely worthy of. She’s, you know, one of the hardest working players.”
With the shutout, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan earned her third straight road clean sheet, with three saves on the night. The Wave now has four shutouts on the season, while Sheridan earned her 26th career clean sheet.
They played in front of 15,058 fans, a record-breaking attendance for Gotham FC (5-3-2, 17 points).
Shaw earned her first professional career assist of the season. The 18-year old made her professional debut with the Wave last season on July 30, 2022, and has since earned six regular-season goals.
Midfielder Taylor Kornieck started for the Wave in a regular season match for the first time since April 15, 2023. Kornieck has made two appearances since coming back from injury, where she made her return May 20 in the Wave’s 3-0 win over the Houston Dash.
Asked about resting many starters during the Challenge Cup match loss Wednesday, Stoney said, “It’s not easy. We want to win every game. … 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,” Stoney said. “We’ve got a World Cup window coming up. Certain players are going to be missing. We have to prepare for that. And also to give people deserved minutes as well. So it wasn’t easy, losing 3-0” to OL Reign.
“So did it pay off? You’d have to say yes”
On Friday, San Diego Wave continues its road stretch against Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. Pacific time. The match is available via broadcast on FOX 5 San Diego and can be streamed on Paramount+.