NWSL San Diego Wave FC

Match Preview: San Diego vs. Seattle Reign

Published on May 1, 2024 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
San Diego Wave FC News Release


San Diego - San Diego Wave FC (2-2-1, 7 points) travel to face Seattle Reign (1-5-0, 3 points) at Lumen Field on Friday night. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on Prime Sports.

This will be the second regular season meeting between San Diego and Seattle this year as the two teams met on March 29 when the Wave defeated the Reign 1-0 in added time. Midfielder Emily van Egmond found the ball from forward Alex Morgan near the penalty spot and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net, marking the latest goal (98th minute) in San Diego history. The win also marked San Diego's first-ever regular season victory over Seattle.

Last Time Out

In San Diego's last match, the Wave faced Bay FC for the first time, as the club secured a 2-1 victory at Snapdragon Stadium on April 27. Midfielder Makenzy Doniak opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a perfectly placed shot at the edge of the box, recording her first goal of the 2024 season. Bay FC equalized just after halftime when Bay defender Kayla Sharples' header bounced off the crossbar and fell directly to the feet of forward Asisat Oshoala who scored the rebound. In the 78th minute, midfielder Savannah McCaskill found the ball in the middle of the field and passed it out wide to second-half substitute Elyse Bennett. The forward hit a flawless pass to Jaedyn Shaw, who finished a close-range shot to earn her first goal of the season and secure the victory at home.

Seattle is coming off a 1-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park on April 27. The Courage scored their lone goal in the 37th minute when Ashley Sanchez sent a direct cross to forward Tyler Lussi who hit a one-touch finish to the back of the net. The Reign outshot the Courage 17-10, making 11 shots on target but the team was unable to equalize and earn points on the road.

Players to Watch

Forward Bethany Balcer is the leading goal scorer (2) for Seattle so far this season, scoring most recently on April 14 against Bay FC with a one-touch left-footed shot. Balcer joined the Reign in 2019 and has scored a combined 28 goals, leading the scoring for the Reign for four of her last five seasons (2019, 2021-23).

San Diego forward Jaedyn Shaw secured the Wave's game-winning goal in the last match, marking her first of the 2024 season. With the goal, Shaw became the first teenager in NWSL history to score 10 regular season goals while also joining Alex Morgan as the only two Wave FC players to score 10 or more total goals in regular season play.

How to Watch

Friday's match will be played at Lumen Field in Seattle and will be broadcast live on Prime Sports at 7 p.m. PT. The Wave's watch party will be at Fairplay located in North Park. Fans are invited to attend and cheer on the Wave!

Check out the San Diego Wave FC Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 1, 2024


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