**SAN DIEGO, Calif.** – San Diego Wave FC kept the winning start to its season going as the club’s quality got the better of the North Carolina Courage over the course of two halves in a 3-1 win at Snapdragon Stadium. Goals from forward Jaedyn Shaw in the 39 ^th minute as well as forward Alex Morgan in the 48 ^th minute were enough in attack, and Morgan's second of the night via the penalty spot rendered Courage forward Kerolin's penalty of her own ineffective on the scoreline. It was also a landmark night for Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who made her 100 ^th NWSL appearance in the win.
Action kicked off quickly with North Carolina attacking the San Diego goal and winning back-to-back corners early on, though they produced nothing in the end. Then, in the 11 ^th minute, North Carolina had their first attempt on goal as a bouncing ball fell to forward Mille Gejl, whose strike last week lifted the Courage over the Kansas City Current. This time, though, Gejl was unable to produce enough power or direction as her low drive was held by the ‘keeper Sheridan and the move ended.
San Diego did begin to settle into the match and had a first look on goal in the 22 ^nd minute through 18-year-old Jaedyn Shaw’s snapshot. As the hosts moved forward and were bolstered by the noise level of their fans, Shaw lifted her head up just outside the 18-yard box and decided to go for a powerful strike that would have needed to go over the head of Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy in order to find its way in the back of the net. Instead, Murphy did well to push the ball over the bar and away for a corner that San Diego did not capitalize on.
Just a few minutes later, the Wave’s pressure continued as they won a set piece some distance from goal. Working a routine with midfielder Emily van Egmond, Morgan received a short one-two and attempted to curl a steaming effort into the top left corner. However, the ball whistled past the post on the way out and Morgan could only look on in agony.
However, in the 39 ^th minute, San Diego’s persistence would pay off as the young talent Shaw found the back of the net to open the scoring on the night. In just two passes, San Diego took the ball from Sheridan in the back all the way forward as the netminder’s pass was then headed on into the path of Shaw, who buried her chance from close range to go one up.
San Diego would hold onto that lead for the final five minutes and into the halftime interval.
Back out for the second half, San Diego picked up right where they left off as Alex Morgan then scored the side’s second goal in the 49 ^th minute after a giveaway deep in North Carolina territory. New arrival Danielle Colaprico did well to spot a screened pass in the Courage’s defensive third and pounced to regain possession. Spotting Morgan’s run ahead of her, Colaprico fed the 2022 Golden Boot winner, who did what she did best in twisting around the North Carolina defense and using her smarts to wrongfoot Murphy and increase San Diego’s advantage.
In the 67 ^th minute, Morgan then struck the post after a chaotic attacking sequence saw the ball fall to the forward in the left side of the penalty area. Smashing it from close range, Morgan’s shot ricocheted off the bar and back into play where North Carolina eventually scrambled clear. Morgan would soon get another shot at goal, though, and from an even clearer position after a VAR review in the 70 ^th minute called play back to judge a handball against North Carolina’s Kiki Pickett, resulting in a penalty for San Diego. Up stepped Morgan, who has been nothing short of clinical from the spot and proved as much again as she put home her penalty for her second goal of the night and the game’s third.
A temporary turning point came North Carolina’s way just a few minutes after that however, with San Diego defender Naomi Girma clearing out Courage attacker Kerolin in the box for a clear penalty the other way. Like Morgan, Kerolin took penalty kick duties and sent her shot to the bottom left corner and in to prevent San Diego from earning a clean sheet.
Despite the consolation goal, though, it was a well-deserved win for San Diego who scored three goals and earned the win in back-to-back games to start the season. Momentum continues to rise for the Wave, who face a trip to OL Reign in a couple of weeks, while North Carolina came down after the high of their win over Kansas City last week. Upon their return, they face a visit from the Washington Spirit in a rematch of the 2022 Challenge Cup Final.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights