NWSL San Diego Wave FC

San Diego Wave FC Hands Red Stars 1-0 Loss

Published on July 30, 2022 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
San Diego Wave FC News Release


San Diego Wave FC celebrating win
San Diego Wave FC celebrating win
(San Diego Wave FC)

CHICAGO, Illinois. - It was an eventful night in the Windy City on Saturday evening as the San Diego Wave Fútbol Club (7-3-4) battled the Chicago Red Stars (5-3-5) at Soldier Field. With a final score of 1-0, San Diego Wave FC handed Chicago its first defeat at home since the 2021 NWSL season.

With her family in the stands to witness the moment, 17-year-old Jaedyn Shaw started in tonight's match and made an immediate impact on her professional NWSL debut, scoring the game-winning goal with a cool and confident finish.

Thirteen days after signing with the club, Shaw became the second-youngest player to compete in NWSL at the age of 17 years, eight months. With her goal tonight, the rising star made history as the youngest player to score on an NWSL debut.

Shaw's clinical first-half goal in the 28th minute was the deciding factor tonight for San Diego, followed by impressive defending the rest of the match from the entire Wave FC squad. Forward Katie Johnson showcased her match awareness with a smart assist to Shaw's debut goal, unselfishly passing the ball across the box to find the rookie.

In the 59th minute, captain Abby Dahlkemper earned a second yellow, forcing San Diego to continue for 30 minutes with just 10 players. Wave FC stepped up to the occasion and held off any pressure from the Red Stars to keep their 1-0 lead.

In the 81st minute, the Red Stars earned a penalty kick which Mallory Pugh stood over for a chance to tie up the score line. Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was up for the challenge and dove correctly to her left, sending the team into celebration and preserving San Diego's lead.

Statistically, Chicago led the attack tonight with 20 shots to Wave FC's nine, but San Diego relieved the home side's pressure time after time. Center back Naomi Girma played incredibly for her first match back since the Concacaf W Championship, shutting down Chicago's charge numerous times throughout the 90 minutes.

After earning three points tonight, Wave FC now returns to Torero Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 7 to battle the Kansas City Current at 2 p.m. PT. That night, as part of the 2022 Nationwide Community Impact Program, Wave FC will recognize the United Women of East Africa (UWEAST) in a pre-game ceremony on-field. San Diego defender Naomi Girma will help present UWEAST with a Nationwide donation check to kick off the season-long community partnership.

With just three matches left at Torero Stadium, San Diego Wave FC looks forward to its home opener at the new state-of-the-art Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, September 17. San Diego Wave FC intends to shatter the NWSL attendance record in the 32,000-seat stadium as they take on Southern California-rival Angel City FC at 7 p.m. PT. ‚¬â€¹ ‚¬â€¹

Wave FC Goals: Jaedyn Shaw (28', Assisted by Katie Johnson)

Chicago Red Stars Goals:

Misconduct Summary

Wave FC: Abby Dahlkemper (Yellow 13'), Naomi Girma (Yellow 22'), Abby Dahllkemper (Second Yellow/Red 59'), Belle Briede (Yellow 83')

Red Stars:

Wave FC starting lineup

Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan

Defenders: Abby Dahlkemper ( C ), Naomi Girma, Christen Westphal

Midfielders: Emily Van Egmond, Kristen McNabb, Katie Johnson, Taylor Kornieck

Forwards: Kelsey Turnbow, Jaedyn Shaw, Alex Morgan

Game Changers Used: Amirah Ali, Kaleigh Riehl, Belle Briede

SD Wave head coach Casey Stoney:

On tonight's match against Chicago Red Stars:

"I don't know how we won, but we won. I'm so proud of them. I don't think I've had a more proud moment as a head coach of this team. The resilience they showed, the way they stayed in the game, and our goalkeeper made another world class save. I know they had their chances and did not take them, but to come here and show the fight and spirit that we did, and go away with a win, it was a massive three points for us.

I was disappointed I could not get more players on the pitch, but the state of the game didn't really allow me to. I always want to try and get players on the pitch when I can, but it was a massive squad effort. This whole week they've had a great week of training. They had to stick it out tonight and it was a huge three points on the road. Sometimes on the road you have to find a way to win and they did that."

On Katie Johnson's performance and start:

"I said to KJo [Katie Johnson] before the game, she earned her opportunity tonight [with her performances during the international window] when players were away. I told her to take it, and she did really well. She is so smart in her runs, and the assist was so unselfish. She gave Jaedyn [Shaw] her debut goal, and I am really pleased with how she played."

On debuting Jaedyn Shaw tonight on the road:

"I've seen enough to know she is capable of starting. I am a coach that believes in: if you are good enough, you're old enough. I have watched her for a while before we acquired her signature, so I knew what the talent was, and I think she showed that tonight. I thought her finish was exceptional- she probably could have finished it first-time, but to chop it back and finish so calmly and composed, nothing really phased her. We need to work on how we play our principles and philosophy because she has not been here for long. For a debut at 17 years old, I am so pleased with her. She is a fantastic addition to our roster."

On keeping a clean sheet while playing a player down:

"It was incredible, selfless defending. I thought we blocked well, we defended the box very well, and they had a few chances they put wide, but our goalkeeper was outstanding, and our back four. For Kaleigh Riehl to come on in a center back situation like that.. that is not easy at all to come on and get into the rhythm of the game. Naomi Girma was Naomi Girma. She was outstanding. The whole team was, from back to front. Alex, Amirah, and Kelsey, Taylor, they had to put an absolute shift in to cover the ground. Van Egmond, Briede, they all had to cover a lot of space with a player down. I am extremely pleased. I am immensely proud of the players sticking to the task and doing what they did. It was an amazing result."

On the atmosphere at Soldier Field:

"Amazing for the women's game. Amazing for us as a team. I thought the atmosphere was incredible, they need to play here more [Soldier Field]. It is quite intimidating. The difference between us playing here and at the Banc [Of California: ACFC Field], was having those experienced players with calm heads on the pitch. They could dictate the game and stay in it when we needed to. We went down to 10 [women on the field] with 30 minutes left to play on the field with the crowd against you. This is not easy and we needed our experienced players to put a shift in. I am really proud of everybody- I have never had to ask Alex Morgan to defend as much as she did. I am really pleased with her shift, and Amirah [Ali] came on and put a shift in as well.

This is why she [Sheridan] is one of the best goalkeepers in the world making saves like that. I am really pleased she is in between our sticks and nobody else's."

On this win:

"The win was big tonight for this team. They showed no matter what, no matter the circumstances, they can grind out a win on the road and they can work for each other and fight. They can play a different way. The table [standings] is irrelevant. Tonight was important for this team and the growth of this team."

On team resilience:

"I believe in them. every single one of them. I believe in them to go out and do the job. They believe in each other. We work a lot on the cohesion and dynamics in our environment, and we've brought great characters into our dressing room. They fought so hard tonight and never gave up. It is definitely my proudest moment as a head coach of this team because you saw how much fight they had and how willing they were to work for each other. I am a very very happy coach tonight."

SD Wave Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan:

On tonight's match against the Red Stars:

"I think after an international break, sometimes it's hard to get going, and I think we saw that it was not our cleanest game. I think there are a lot of things we want to tidy up on going home, but three points in Chicago is always crucial for us and for anyone. It's a really hard atmosphere to play in, a really hard place to play, so we're just proud of an ugly win honestly. At the end of the day, we put everything we could into the end of that game. We came together and made sure we got three points to take home tomorrow."

On her penalty kick save:

"It is a great feeling for sure. It's awesome to keep your team in the game, but ultimately it came down to a lot of research from the coaching staff and a lot of work from the players on the field to just give me the confidence and give me insight. Honestly, it wasn't just a single effort, a lot of people went into the save, so I'm really proud of everybody that was a part of it."

On what went into her penalty save:

"I think ultimately a lot of the control and power is in the shooter, and there's definitely a little bit of luck there. There's also a lot of research that goes into it from the coaching staff. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't, and at the end of the day, we just got it right today."

On Jaedyn's first professional goal:

"It was incredible. I've only been in training with Jaedyn for a week now, and you can see the hard work and dedication that goes into that. That's not a single night. That's a lot of work that's gone into that and she's somebody I've noticed that puts her head down and works and she's going to continue that, and we're going to see a lot more goals like that with poise, control. And she's got a lot of amazing players to learn from here, and she can teach them too. I think there's a lot of back and forth with this club. There is not a lot of ego, and I think that's a really important thing to have in a team."

On the team's ability to grind through difficult matches as an expansion team:

"We aren't a typical expansion team. Casey came in and had a really important vision when she built this team. She wasn't just bringing in amazing players but good people, the whole coaching staff and player-wise. I think that's a really important balance to have when you create a team. We're so lucky that we have all the people in this club that we have. Otherwise, I don't think we'd be as successful. I honestly think it comes down to great people and just trusting everybody. We've had to build that over the season. We haven't just come off running. I think we saw some struggles at the beginning. I think we'll still see some bumps in the road as we go towards the end of the season, especially with a lot of windows and people recovering. We're not expecting it whatsoever to be an easy ride. We know this league is tough, but at the end of the day, we have the belief in our team, and we have the kind of people who want to work hard every day, who really want it. We believe in each other, and I think we can achieve it."

SD Wave Forward Jaedyn Shaw:

On tonight's match against the Red Stars:

"I think it was an incredible team effort with everybody working together after going down a player. It was just an incredible team effort, and it's something that I definitely look up to."

On scoring her first professional goal at 17:

"It's definitely an honor. I've manifested and prayed about this time for so long, and I just think it's an incredible opportunity to play at this stage and be able to score a goal. I think it comes down to just being confident in your ability and in your teammates, and that was a great ball across. I had one job: to put it in the net."

On the team's ability to grind through difficult matches as an expansion team:

"I think for me, it starts at training. I've only been here a week, and I can see the dedication from the coaching staff and the players. There's no ego. Everybody is pushing everybody, everybody is trying to help everybody, and I think that shows on the field."

On her debut performance as a whole:

"I think of course I have things to work on as any player would say. I think it's time to get back in the lab. I'm going to the (USYNT) World Cup and everything, and there's still room to learn and grow and I think I'm in a great environment for that."

Check out the San Diego Wave FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

San Diego Wave FC celebrating win
San Diego Wave FC celebrating win
   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 30, 2022


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