**HARRISON, N.J.** – San Diego Wave FC rallied for a 1-0 victory at Gotham FC in front of a record crowd at Red Bull Arena of 15,058 fans, with forward Makenzy Doniak scoring the lone goal of the match just 46 seconds into the second half. The win extends San Diego’s league unbeaten run to four games and puts it in 2 ^nd place in the league, level on points with leaders Portland but behind on goal differential. Meanwhile, the loss drops Gotham from 2 ^nd to 4 ^th place, level with 3 ^rd place Washington on points but also behind on goal differential.
An early scare came Gotham’s way in the 4 ^th minute when San Diego forward Alex Morgan found her in behind the defense and on the ball, charging toward the opposition goal. Morgan had been played in by goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who launched a long ball over the top of everyone and found the forward. Morgan then worked her way toward goal and eventually end up rolling an effort toward the far post that clipped the post on its way out of play. However, after all that, the flag went up and it had been ruled that Morgan was offside from Sheridan’s initial distribution.
Gotham then got its attack going in the 20 ^th minute when forward Yazmeen Ryan was afforded an opportunity in front of goal after a move from left to right. Teammate Lynn Williams did the bulk of the work as she received a pass closer to midfield and spun in possession, crossing the center of the field toward the right side. Williams then played the ball to Ryan’s feet inside the penalty area, but as Williams attempted to make herself available again she got tangled up in a collision near the top of the box. As a result, with one less option for Ryan, she cut inside onto her left foot and attempted to find the roof of the net but instead sent her shot into the stands.
San Diego then won the ball from Gotham just inside the hosts’ half and advanced forward in the 28 ^th minute, looking to break toward goal. A pass was then slipped ahead for forward Sofia Jakobsson, who did well to readjust her body and get on the end of the pass still. She then rounded into open space and put the ball in the back of the net, but again the flag went up for offside as San Diego had a second attack nullified by an offside decision.
The last action of the half came for San Diego in the 44 ^th minute when an opportunity was created for San Diego’s Kaleigh Riehl after a long ball toward the center of the box. Riehl was able to settle it, but her low effort toward goal was wide of the near post and out. As a result, the two sides went into the halftime break goalless with a couple of unconverted chances left out on the field.
Into the second half, San Diego opted to introduce both attackers Makenzy Doniak and Jaedyn Shaw, and their impact was felt immediately as Doniak received a ground through pass from Shaw and put the ball into the back of the net just 46 seconds after the restart. Shaw had taken possession near the midfield line and spotted the run of Doniak, who was crossing the center of the field. Shaw played the pass into space and Doniak latched onto it before getting around Gotham goalkeeper Abby Smith and finding the perfect slice of space to put her shot into as it soared into the back of the net to give San Diego the lead.
Five minutes later, Jakobsson had a chance to extend the visitor’s lead, but after a lung-bursting run she was unable to keep her effort on frame. San Diego attempted to counter from deep inside their own territory, and a quick one-two pass sent Jakobsson sprinting forward from inside her own half. On the ball and approaching goal, the Swede did well to keep space in front of her for a shot but was unable to keep her high effort down over Smith enough to score. Then, in the 55 ^th minute, Alex Morgan got on the end of a lifted through ball and poked it toward goal, but Smith was able to make the save and keep the San Diego attack at bay.
After the game settled slightly, San Diego ramped up its attack again and nearly doubled its lead through forward Jaedyn Shaw, who had already collected an assist on the night. Shaw was then played in by Doniak but had her left-footed shot from inside the box blocked by a defender. However, the block landed right back at Shaw’s feet allowing her to have a second go at goal. This time, Smith was able to produce a solid save and keep the deficit at one.
Looking for one last opportunity at goal, Gotham’s attack in the 90 ^th minute saw XX’s shot blocked on its way in to give the hosts a late corner. An in-swinger toward the near post saw a flick on toward the back post, but a whistle blew the play dead as the referee had judged a foul in the penalty area resulting in a San Diego free kick.
Seven minutes of scheduled stoppage time followed, as did Gotham’s pursuit for an equalizer. Various shots from the likes of Yazmeen Ryan, Lynn Williams, Ali Krieger, and Jenna Nighswonger tested Sheridan in that window, but the shotstopper was in good position every time to preserve her side’s lead with her saves. After nine total minutes of stoppage, San Diego was able to see the match through and earn a third consecutive road victory.
From here, San Diego travels to face Racing Louisville FC on Friday, June 9, while Gotham heads to Houston to face the Dash on Sunday, June 11.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights