**Orlando, Florida** – The Orlando Pride and San Diego Wave FC played to a dramatic 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Sunday night, with the Pride’s lead through the 68 ^th minute cancelled out by the combination of Makenzy Doniak’s 76 ^th minute tally and Taylor Kornieck’s 87 ^th minute equalizer as San Diego stole a point in its fight for first place. The result sees San Diego clinch a playoff position, making the club the first expansion side to ever accomplish such a feat.
Orlando got the action going early on with midfielder Reiss was played in on goal and forced San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan into a good save in the second minute. Teammate Haley Hanson had spotted the run of Reiss just to the left edge of the six-yard box, and Reiss did well to get toward the endline. However, she ran out of space which allowed Sheridan to close down and prevent the game’s opening goal.
Still knocking on the door though, the hosts were continually in front of San Diego and would end up notching a goal in the 33 ^rd minute via midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, who has been one of the side’s highest goalscoring threats in the last few matches. Forward Leah Pruitt was in possession on the right side of the field and approaching the 18-yard box when she fired a low ball toward goal that was close to Dougherty Howard. Sliding to make contact, Dougherty Howard then poked the ball home with her left foot as it snuck past Sheridan for the opening goal.
Three minutes later, San Diego asked a question of Orlando goalkeeper Erin McLeod via a shot from midfielder Katlyn Johnson, but her powerful drive toward McLeod’s left was caught and smothered as the Pride held onto their narrow advantage. That chance, though, was the last San Diego would create in the opening half as it trailed the Pride, 1-0, heading into the halftime break.
Into the second half, San Diego continued to try and edge its way back into the match, but Orlando made that task more difficult when midfielder Gunny Jónsdóttir put her side two in front with a great header just a few yards out from goal that sailed past Sheridan. A set piece situation led to Orlando’s Courtney Peterson whipping in the cross, and Jónsdóttir picked the ball out with a headed effort toward the near post that Sheridan stood no chance against. The goal then ignited the home crowd, who were enjoying Fan Appreciation Night as part of the last home game of the season.
A few minutes later, though, San Diego began to make things interesting, beginning with substitute Makenzy Doniak’s goal in the 76 ^th minute. A relatively simple move saw two super subs combine as Kelsey Turnbow lifted in a cross from the right side of goal that found Doniak just to the right of the six-yard box. Doniak then stooped low to meet the ball on its down curve and powered a header toward the far post that the netminder McLeod could not keep out.
Pressing now for an equalizer, San Diego would take advantage of the tension around the ground and end up scoring its second and final goal of the night via midfielder Taylor Kornieck. Another dead ball situation, this time a free kick from the left side, saw the Wave swing in a cross toward the middle of the penalty area that was cleared low and away by the Pride defense. However, the ball got as far as Kornieck on the edge of the area, and she launched a drive toward the left side of goal that snuck past McLeod as the visitors thought they’d snatched a point.
Reasonably so, the only scare San Diego had left to deal with was one just a few seconds before the end of regulation time. As Orlando lifted the ball back into the penalty area from distance, Sheridan was forced to back all the way up to meet the pop fly and she tipped the ball over the bar for a corner that eventually produced nothing.
In the end, San Diego’s dramatic comeback attempt was complete as far as splitting the points, and though the four-goal thriller saw the Wave fail to close in on the race for first, they still became the first expansion side to ever clinch a playoff place in a banner of a first season.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights