NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls 0-2 Against San Diego Wave FC at Home

Published on April 23, 2023 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football (ACFC) lost 0-2 to San Diego Wave FC at home tonight following goals by forwards Sofia Jakobsson and Makenzy Doniak. The match saw a strong performance by ACFC in many respects, but the team ultimately weren't able to break down the Wave's organized defense.

"We improved a lot defensively, with our defensive structure," said Head Coach Freya Coombe after the match, "but we're learning that we need to do a little more in each of the boxes to see out games. We need to make sure we're not allowing chances in those game-changing moments."

Much of the first half was a midfield battle, as both sides defended well and limited quality chances for the opposition. Angel City had the better of the action early on, spending a fair amount of time in San Diego's defensive third and combining for a few half-chances on goal. Several such chances went through forward Alyssa Thompson, but she found herself marked by multiple defenders each time and struggled to find space for a quality shot.

The Wave had the first dangerous shot of the half in the 11th minute when defender Kristen McNabb sent in a cross for midfielder Emily Van Egmond as the latter crashed the net, but her header went wide.

The match remained a back-and-forth affair with few real chances on either side, until the 36th minute, when San Diego had two looks in close succession. First, a corner kick by midfielder Dani Colaprico was punched away by ACFC keeper DiDi Haračić; the rebound fell to McNabb, who hit a volley that went wide. Less than a minute later, forward Alex Morgan sent a hard shot from the top of the 18 over the crossbar.

Angel City had their best chance in the 51st minute after a shot by forward Claire Emslie was blocked by defender Christen Westphal and fell to defender M.A. Vignola, who fired off a low, angled shot that beat multiple defenders but went inches wide of the far post.

The home team kept pushing and put together a number of near chances, but ultimately couldn't break down an organized San Diego defense. One promising transitional attack saw Thompson sprint into acres of space on the left side of the field and find McCaskill centrally, but was cut short when referee Ekaterina Koroleva whistled for a handball by McCaskill.

San Diego had a near miss in the 68th minute when forward Makenzy Doniak scooped up a second ball and took a hard, angled shot from the right side of the area that went wide. It was a play that foreshadowed the Wave's first goal, in the 70th minute: a forward pass by Westphal found forward Sofia Jakobsson in the same area of the field. Jakobsson created some space from her mark and sent a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 75th minute when a shot by Doniak from outside the 18 year box glanced off the back of defender Sarah Gorden and past Haračić. Because the initial shot was on target, it was recorded as a goal for Doniak, not an own goal.

"I think we let ourselves down in certain moments, especially with the two goals," said McCaskill after the game. "I think we have to be more clinical every single time that they get a transition moment. We lost the ball in a really bad area and they were able to capitalize on it."

In stoppage time, Angel City had a look when forward Jun Endo sent a short cross to forward Scarlett Camberos in the left side of the area. Camberos took a touch to control the ball and struck a shot on the bounce that went over the crossbar.

The Wave's disciplined defending was especially evident inside the box; Angel City attempted 40 crosses during the game, while San Diego had 32 clearances, highlighting the visitors' low, tight defensive block.

"We knew that they were going to defend their box really deep and really tight," said McCaskill after the game. "That's just kind of how they defend. They put a lot of bodies in their box in order to defend crosses."

Tonight was the first appearance and first start for midfielder Julie Ertz, who signed with the club earlier this week. "She had a really good presence on the ball," said Coombe. "She looked calm under pressure, which translated to the rest of the team. They were a lot calmer on the ball. Even when pressed, she was able to deal with pressure really well and just calmly play out of it. Having her leadership in the center of the park is huge."

"We have to improve on those little moments as well in order to get results, because I think at times we were the better team," said McCaskill. "I don't think the score reflects the performance, but I also think that there's areas that we can continue to improve on."

Angel City plays next on the road against Portland, on Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m PT on Paramount+.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Julie Ertz, ACFC Midfielder

On feelings towards her return to the NWSL:

"I'm so grateful to be here. The second I walked out of seeing all these fans, being one of the first players in the NWSL, even in the time I've been out, to come back here and just see the growth of the NWSL is just absolutely incredible."

"I'm growing as a first time mom coming back. I can't even thank my family enough and the support they have given me day in and day out and not even just that. Now I'm having so much fun playing with the team. Obviously, today is not the outcome that we want, but to be able to put a performance together, and having something we can grow off of. I had so much fun tonight."

On playing in front of tonight's crowd:

"The first word is absolutely unbelievable. It was a dream, our hope of where the NWSL could be. To be a part of a team that has really built that and the number of people when I walked by said 'welcome home', is a really fun embrace to have. To create this type of culture that is fans and players, have a fun interaction of just pure joy for the game. I couldn't have enjoyed the atmosphere anymore back here."

On how the energy is since joining the club:

"This team is special. I knew it from the second I came in. This is a winning culture. This team wants to win. Every game they're trying to figure out what it is. We need to continue to grow. It's early in the season, which is great. Now it's holding each other accountable both individually and collectively."

"It is so fun to find the confidence in younger players as well. You have two more veteran players in this league, but to see Alyssa [Thompson] thriving in a crowd like this and doing what she loves to do. It brings confidence to each other as well and the next piece is getting that camaraderie together and really putting a full 90 minutes together."

Ali Riley, ACFC Defender

On overall performance:

"I hate losing, but I don't think the score reflected the way we played tonight. I hope that people are excited about this team off the back of this performance."

"It'll come. I'm very positive and optimistic. I truly believe that tonight is a turning point for us."

On the addition of Julie Ertz:

"Her physical presence, her ability to clean up balls that fall back, winning second balls, it's exceptional. She knows the game so well."

"I heard Julie [Ertz] say her first impression of the team was how good people we are and how excited she is to play with us. She could feel a winning mentality, and she felt very welcomed. That means more than anything to me. That's something that I take great pride in. It's the most important thing, that a player can come in and feel welcomed and feel like they can express themselves, like they are home."

On the upcoming ANGEL CITY documentary series on HBO:

"Viewers will be completely 110 percent convinced that this is a group of women, an ownership group, and a club that you can get behind that are amazing role models. I hope it's something that inspires other businesses, organizations, clubs, leagues, and federations around the world."

Freya Coombe, ACFC Head Coach

On Julie Ertz's performance and her minutes:

"She had a really good presence on the ball and looked calm under pressure, which translated to the rest of the team. They were a lot calmer on the ball, so even when pressed she was able to deal with pressure really well and play out of it calmly. Having her leadership in the center to direct is huge for us."

"She hasn't been with us for that long so in terms of knowing player tendencies and how we want to play, we're still learning. The impact that she was able to make so early was fantastic. She has trained with us for a few short days but has shown her quality. We all know how good she can be on the ball and also off the ball. It was time for us to start her, she's in great shape, she's done a brilliant job getting herself fit again, and is ready to go. Now it's about looking at how we can utilize her to help us win games."

On highlights in tonight's match:

"We could have gotten something more out of the game. We were disciplined and played for the longest period of time this season, in terms of consistency of our performance. Ultimately some of the statistics reflect that we weren't clinical enough in the final third. In terms of the shots we were able to create that were on target it just wasn't enough."

On Claire Emslie's role and impact:

"Claire has been really impactful and had another great game tonight in terms of her ability to put the ball in the box in set pieces and in open play. It was great to see her getting on the ball a little bit more tonight and being able to go one-on-one at players and combine with whether it's Savannah [McCaskill] around her or Ali [Riley], having some of those combination plays. She's got that versatility, she'll pop up on the right side, left side and she'll take free kicks with the right foot, left foot which keeps it unpredictable. She's fantastic and she had the grit between her teeth and was solid defensively as well tonight."

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from April 23, 2023


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