**San Diego, California** – San Diego Wave FC defeated the Houston Dash, 3-1, in a potentially season-defining result on Saturday night in the club’s last match at Torero Stadium. After going down early on, San Diego battled back to equalize quickly and win the match in the second half with goals from Alex Morgan, Amirah Ali and Sofia Jakobsson.
However, it was Houston who jumped out in front early as forward Ebony Salmon scored in the 7 ^th minute to send her side ahead on the road. Carrying an unbelievable impact since being traded from Louisville, Salmon continued her goalscoring ways as a corner kick saw the hosts fail to properly clear the ball which allowed Salmon to collect just outside the penalty area. Settling the ball and taking a touch into space, Salmon then fired a rocket on goal that flew past San Diego goalkeeper Carly Telford and in as her streak continues. Since July 16 ^th , Ebony Salmon has outscored seven entire teams.
Despite going down, the hosts wasted little time in making a comeback as forward Alex Morgan netted her 12 ^th goal of the season in the 13 ^th minute and brought the score back level early on. A cross in from the left side toward San Diego’s Taylor Kornieck saw the ball instead bounce around the penalty area and eventually to the left side of the box where Morgan was waiting. Taking a positive touch toward the penalty area, Morgan rifled a shot that cut across goal and soared into the back of the net as she netted her 50 ^th regular season goal and established herself alone at the top of the league scoring charts as she equalized for San Diego.
Then, the hosts produced another high-quality opportunity in the 25 ^th minute as a well-worked move resulted in forward Kelsey Turnbow testing Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell from distance. Houston moved the ball up the left side of the field where Morgan clipped a pass forward toward the run of Turnbow. As the ball was still bouncing, Turnbow then attempted to lift it over the goalkeeper Campbell but watched in agony as the chance landed just wide. Not a minute later, Morgan then tested the Houston goal with a half-chance only to send her shot too high.
Houston then turned the tempo back up and found a good look through midfielder Ryan Gareis on the right side. As the Dash moved the ball up field quickly, a pass played to Gareis on the left side saw her take on a defender and begin to head toward goal. Creating space in a tight area, Gareis then fired a low shot toward goal that could’ve taken a deflection and gone anywhere, but instead rolled inches wide of the far post on its way out as the visitors worked back into the match.
At the half, though, the pair remained deadlocked with one goal apiece.
The second half started quickly with Houston threatening the San Diego goal just minutes into the restart. First, it was the forward Salmon who was denied from just outside the box by Telford in the 47 ^th minute. Then, one minute later, attacker María Sánchez curled a left-footed shot toward goal that had the proper line but had just too much pace on the shot for it to bend back around and find the back of the net.
Near the hour mark, San Diego then opened up a big possibility in goal with again Morgan the target. As the hosts worked the ball down the left side of the field, a cross came in toward Morgan still in the box on the left. Morgan then attempted to get an effort around Campbell but failed to hit the target as both sides pushed for a potential winner with 30 minutes to play.
That chance would come for San Diego in the 67 ^th minute when forwards Amirah Ali and Alex Morgan combined with Ali bundling the ball over the line from close in to put the home side in front. A bit of chaos in defense for Houston saw a cross into the box then sent back the way it came before Morgan nodded the ball down into Ali’s path just a couple of yards from goal. Ali then did all she needed to to ensure the ball crossed the line and her side went ahead for the first time all evening with the goal.
In the 86 ^th minute, Houston had their best opportunity to equalize as Sánchez’s ball in from the left side toward the middle of goal saw teammate Sophie Schmidt strike the post. Houston continued to press for a late equalizer which resulted in the chance as regulation time was winding down, but Schmidt’s glanced header was guided toward the back post and bounced off the post and back into play with forward Nichelle Prince unable to convert on the follow up from close range.
However, right at the end of the match, San Diego added a third goal through midfielder Sofia Jakobsson. A great ball in for her run on the left side of the field then slotted her into a one-on-one with Campbell in goal, and Jakobsson produced a wonderful finish at the back post to keep her side in front and send the game out of reach.
In the end, San Diego was able to cling onto their slender lead as they went from trailing early on to fighting back for all three points as the club’s push for the playoffs continues. The win helps San Diego gain momentum again after back-to-back losses, while the Dash saw their five-game unbeaten run snapped with the result as they continue to push for a top playoff spot.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights