San Diego, California
– San Diego Wave FC earned their first win in competitive play on Saturday night, as they defeated Angel City FC, 4-2, in a wild back-and-forth match at Torero Stadium behind forward Alex Morgan's brace–her first goals for the club.
San Diego, California
– San Diego Wave FC earned their first win in competitive play on Saturday night, as they defeated Angel City FC, 4-2, in a wild back-and-forth match at Torero Stadium behind forward Alex Morgan's brace–her first goals for the club. Tiptoeing through the opening 15 minutes, neither side had a quality look on goal as a rematch of the opening match of the West Division took place in San Diego. A scary injury for Angel City defender Madison Hammond occurred in the 15 th minute as teammate and goalkeeper DiDi Haracic burst into action to clear a ball in the box. However, in doing so, Haracic collided with Hammond which required special attention for the defender, though she was ruled able to continue. Four minutes later, however, San Diego found their opening goal through forward Jodie Taylor. Going one-up early on, multiple chances came in the 18 th minute that somehow saw Angel City clear the ball. However, in the 19 th minute, San Diego won the ball back again and forward Alex Morgan chipped toward the back post where Taylor was waiting and fired on goal. Though her initial header was saved by Haracic, the rebound fell kindly, and Taylor beat it home to start the score. In the 24 th minute, San Diego nearly scored their second goal of the night as Morgan again attempted to pick out Taylor. Redirecting the ball back across goal, Taylor put an effort on target that Hammond cleared off the line to keep the one-goal deficit in place. That clearance proved vital initially as Angel City then equalized in the 38 th minute against all momentum. A miscommunication at the back for San Diego resulted in a back pass from defender Tegan McGrady sneaking by goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who was off her line, which resulted in an own goal and a leveler for the visitors. However, the hard work from Angel City was negated just seconds before the halftime whistle and San Diego restored their lead through Alex Morgan. Following a dead ball situation that resulted in the Wave putting pressure on the Angel City defense, Morgan pounced on a loose touch by a defender and buried a close-range opportunity past Haracic. Heading into halftime, San Diego restored its lead late in the half through Morgan, but few could argue that it was not deserved after the hosts peppered Angel City on goal with a 15-2 total shot and a 5-1 shot on goal advantage. Into the second half, it looked as though Angel City had found their way back in the match when forward Christen Press scored her first in her new colors to pull level. Just before the hour mark, Angel City’s Jasmyne Spencer cut in and floated a ball into the box for Press to meet with her head. After her initial attempt was blocked, though, Press swung hard at the rebound and her right-footed effort could not be stopped by Sheridan as Angel City found their second. The hosts’ pressure on Angel City’s goal proved too much, though, and Alex Morgan scored her second of the night to regain the lead in the 72 nd minute. A cross came in from the right side of the field via defender Christen Westphal, and Morgan met it in the center of the penalty area as her forward’s instincts kicked in. With excellent timing, Morgan then buried the chance on the first time of asking. Looking to settle the match, the hosts then finished off the match in style with a fourth goal via substitute Amirah Ali. The forward entered the match in the 68 th minute, but in the 81 st minute made her biggest contribution as an incredible solo run and effort saw her beat Haracic with her left foot to double the club’s advantage. In the end, the Wave earned their first win in a competitive match and increased their advantage on Angel City in the West Division standings in doing so. With the result, San Diego sits third on four points with three games played, while Angel City sits fourth in the same division on one point.
