Wave FC heads north Sunday for a 6 p.m. matchup against the Seattle Reign at Lumen Field, looking to carry the momentum from its recent run of form into an important road match.

San Diego enters the match in fourth place with 39 points, tied in points with third-place Utah but trailing the Royals on goal differential. The Wave have gone 3-1-1 over their last five matches, with a record of W-L-D-W-W. Seattle sits eighth with a game to give at 31 points and have gone 2-1-2 over its last five, going D-W-L-D-W.

The Wave have found success recently, particularly at home, but Sunday will test whether that strong play can translate on the road. San Diego has posted a 6-2-2 away record this season and has gone 8-2-0 when scoring first, making an early goal potentially important against a Seattle team that is 5-2-3 at Lumen Field.

Trinity Byars will be one player to watch as San Diego looks to continue its attacking form. Byars, this week’s NWSL Player of the Week, enters Sunday with 10 goals this season after scoring twice in the Wave’s 3-2 comeback win over Racing Louisville. She has also contributed assists during the team’s recent run, making her ability to create opportunities in transition and find space in the final third an important factor against Seattle.

Seattle will present a different challenge than the teams San Diego has faced during its recent home stretch. The Reign earned a 2-0 victory over the Wave in the teams' last meeting in late July and will look to repeat that result in front of its home crowd.

Maddie Mercado leads Seattle with seven goals this season and will be one of the Reign's primary attacking threats. Defender Sofia Huerta also provides an experienced option on the right side, with one goal and three assists this season. The veteran is known for her ability to deliver dangerous crosses, setting up an interesting matchup with San Diego's Perle Morroni.

San Diego could also have more depth available than it has had in recent weeks. Kimmi Ascanio, Kenza Dali and Gia Corley all returned in the Wave's most recent match, and their continued availability could give San Diego additional options as it looks to maintain its recent attacking momentum.

With only six points separating the No.2 through No. 7 teams in the standings, San Diego will look to protect its position near the top of the table while earning another important road result. A win would also give the Wave an opportunity to respond to Seattle’s 2-0 victory in the teams’ last meeting and add another three points to their push toward the top of the NWSL standings.