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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Draws San Diego in Final 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup Group Stage Match

August 5, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


SAN DIEGO, CA - Angel City drew 1-1 on the road against San Diego Wave FC in their final match of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, following goals by San Diego's Jaedyn Shaw and Angel City forward Scarlett Camberos.

In the 11th minute, San Diego opened the scoring when forward Jaedyn Shaw pounced on a short pass by Angel City keeper DiDi Haračić. Shaw dribbled into the box and shot from a hard angle, hitting the net just inside the back post.

It didn't take long for Angel City to answer. In the 16th minute, forward Scarlett Camberos took on Wave defender Christen Westphal on the left wing, beating her around the outside with a quick burst of speed. With runners in the box, she made a left-footed strike that flew across the face of goal and landed in the net.

San Diego had another chance in the 39th minute beginning with defender Abby Dahlkemper sending a cross into the box. Haračić blocked the cross but couldn't keep hold of it, and the ball fell to the ground. Both teams tried to regain possession in a brief scramble inside the six-yard box, which ended with the ball getting recycled out to Shaw a few yards back in the 18- but Shaw's attempt sailed over the crossbar.

Early in the second half, Haračić made a series of clutch saves to keep Angel City in the game. In the 53rd minute, Shaw played a through ball in for Makenzy Doniak, whose shot from inside the box Haračić did well to block out over the end line. Haračić saved again when Madison Pogarch got her head on the ensuing corner kick, and a third time on a follow-up attempt by forward Melanie Barcenas.

Angel City had another chance in the 72nd minute when midfielder Dani Weatherholt headed a corner kick by forward Clarisse Le Bihan down to the center of the penalty area, where midfielder Madison Hammond was wide open- but Hammond's attempt didn't have enough speed to beat Wave keeper Shae Yañez.

San Diego kept pushing throughout the second half and came close several times, including one play in the 90th minute that saw forward Amirah Ali dribble into the box from the right and lay the ball back to Shaw, whose shot was deflected over the bar for a corner kick.

The draw clinched second place in the Challenge Cup's West division for Angel City, but eliminated them from the knockout rounds, as at least one other team that placed second in their group- Kansas City, in the Central division- had the better record.

Angel City plays next on Saturday, August 19 on the road against Racing Louisville at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports SoCal and stream live on Paramount+.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Forward Scarlett Camberos

Rallying back in the Challenge Cup after a rough start:

"We've come a long way and have grown so much as a team. Unfortunately, we didn't come out of the group stage. It's not something we ever want as a team, but I think we can reflect on how much we've grown. We've learned so much and it's only going to make us stronger.

Scoring her first goal in front of her hometown crowd:

"I'm super happy to get my first score, especially in front of friends and family, a place where I've grown up. Unfortunately we didn't get the win, which is always what we want as a team. Hopefully, I start knocking in some more goals."

Thoughts on the goal and the angle of the shot:

"I'm a very honest person and I wasn't trying to shoot it. I was trying to cross the ball but I'm happy that it turned into a goal. I got my first goal and that's all that matters is that it went inside the back of the net."

ACFC Midfielder Dani Weatherholt

Rallying back in the Challenge Cup after a rough start:

"We played the majority of our Challenge Cup games early in the year and we've grown so much as a team. It's disappointing to not come out, play well, and get the result we wanted but to see how far we've come and to finish high up in a really tough bracket is a big accomplishment for us, and I'm so proud of that."

The team's momentum in today's match:

"We kept the momentum in the sense where we stayed undefeated, but we have higher expectations of ourselves now. The performance we had last weekend to this weekend wasn't good enough. We're all going to look at each other and ask how we can be better."

"It's going to be a tough film session and we have higher expectations. We have higher standards every day. I do think we're going to take today's performance and use it towards our momentum for the next weekend. We really wanted today's result, but rivalry games are gritty and messy. We've had opportunities, but we expect better now."

The upcoming break and what is needed to prepare for the final stretch:

"Problem solving quicker. Our build wasn't working well and we kind of abandoned our game plan rather than sticking to it, working through it. So problem solving, trying new things. We didn't adapt quick enough and it got us to a very slow start."

"That needs to be much better and we looked tired and flat. The energy, the grit, that component, we definitely need to recover for this next week and bring that mentality the following week."

ACFC Interim Head Coach Becki Tweed

On Sarah Gorden's Performance:

"Sarah's been in form and has come back from an injury last season to play a ton of minutes this season. You can see her growth in every single game and her confidence in everything. She's such a key piece for us right now. She allows us to defend the way that we want to defend. She's a true leader and competitor. She keeps growing every week, and it's a pleasure to keep watching her grow."

On the match overall:

"Today's performance is a long way from where we want it to be. We're in a space as a team where we can be really honest with each other. We know we have a ton of space to grow. This performance was scrappy. It was a little ugly, but it's a point. We're not happy with just a point, but if we can raise the level, it's actually a good learning point for us to take away."

"They came out in a formation that we expected, but they played a little differently to what we expected. We kind of panicked after 10 minutes and didn't really recover from it. There's a crazy amount of film and a crazy amount of learning we can do from this week, which is brilliant to help us move forward."

The Challenge Cup Format this year:

"During this World Cup break, it's been brilliant because we need games. We need competitive games, and we need to continue to push forward and grow in that space. It gives you an opportunity to see other players on the field. It's the piece about this league, and about the system that we're in right now that's really difficult sometimes."

"How do you play all of the players on your squad when your season is league game after league game in a super competitive league? The Challenge Cup has allowed us to do that. We got to see Kelsey Hill's first start of the season today. She's a player that came in as a national team replacement player and earned the start. The Challenge Cup allows you to do that."

On starting Goalkeeper DiDi Haračić in her first Challenge Cup match this season:

"For us to be able to use three goalkeepers this year has been incredible. We haven't played a league game now for over a month. While rest is important, so is form, and so is being able to build back in. Not playing in a month is difficult and we have to find the balance of what is right for us moving into the next couple of weeks in a really important stretch of the season. We felt that playing DiDi was the right thing to do today to keep us moving forward and prepare for the league games."

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