17-Year-Old Kimmi Ascanio Emerging as San Diego Wave FC's Offensive Leader

Sports stats



NWSL San Diego Wave FC

17-Year-Old Kimmi Ascanio Emerging as San Diego Wave FC's Offensive Leader

May 20, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
San Diego Wave FC News Release


San Diego Wave FC midfielder Kimmi Ascanio has become one of the Club's most consistent attacking contributors in recent weeks, delivering in high-pressure moments and finding herself in the starting lineup in four consecutive matches.

Over the past five matches, the 17-year-old has recorded three goals and one assist. On May 10 against the Portland Thorns, Ascanio opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a diving header at the back post - securing her first professional goal in front of the Wave's home crowd at Snapdragon Stadium.

Nearly a week later, she found the net again in the Wave's 1-0 win over Gotham FC. Ascanio took a quick first touch around her defender before curling a shot with the outside of her boot into the far post. The goal was her second in consecutive matches, making her - at 17 years and 115 days old - the youngest player in NWSL history to score in back-to-back regular-season games, and the second-youngest to net a game-winner.

"It means a lot to us," said Ascanio on the chance to play among talented players at 17 years old. "A lot of times, young players don't really get their chance, and I think it's really important that [Jonas Eidevall] trusts us. It gives us a lot of confidence to go into the game and do what we know how to do."

With three goals already this season, Ascanio currently leads the team in scoring. Her contributions have also helped the Wave reach a league milestone of nine all-time regular-season goals scored by players aged 17 or younger, the most by any club in NWSL history and more than the combined total of all other teams.

San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall emphasized the importance of creating space for young talent in the squad's development strategy after the victory over Gotham FC.

"It's really important for us that we're good today, but it's even more important that we're better tomorrow," Eidevall said. "It makes a lot of sense with our players that have a lot of future ahead of them, to invest in them. But you can't do it if you don't have the quality - and we're really blessed that we do."

Ascanio's success hasn't gone unnoticed by her teammates. Following the match against Portland on May 10, captain Kailen Sheridan highlighted the teenager's commitment to the team.

"This girl puts a lot of effort in, she's 17, but she works her butt off - she worked on those headers all week and she's been putting in extra finishing work and extra training," said Sheridan. "This isn't just luck. It isn't 'the right place at the right time.' She deserves to be here, all of them [Trinity Armstrong and Melanie Barcenas] do, and they've proven it."

With strong performances against some of the top teams in the league and a growing list of accomplishments, Ascanio is establishing herself as a reliable option in San Diego's attack and a key player for the Club's present and future.

Check out the San Diego Wave FC Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 20, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central