SAN DIEGO - San Diego Wave FC (3-1-0) earned its third straight victory in six days on Saturday evening at Snapdragon Stadium with an emphatic 2-0 win over the Chicago Stars (1-3-0). Rookie Lia Godfrey cleanly struck the ball into the right side of the goal in the 56th minute and local Melanie Barcenas scored with pace, hitting the lower part of the crossbar in the 72nd minute, both off of assists from Dudinha.
In the first half, the Wave had multiple opportunities to score but could not capitalize. Like most games, they dominated possession (60%) and took many more shots than their opponents (12 to none for the Stars), including four on target. The Wave maintained their consistent, short and frequent passing (265 vs 183), hit 14 crosses (6 successful) to 0, and won 59% of the duels. But, they couldn’t score.
“I think we did two things (in the second half). We talked about committing more numbers forward, and … that the intensity was going to be important,” said head coach Jonas Eidevall. “So some players were told that ‘You're not going to play a lot in the second half, so you can really go out and sort of make your mark in the beginning of the second half,’ because then we will have fresh legs coming on after so we were able to sort of ramp up the intensity a little bit.”
That halftime message must have worked.
After knocking on the door throughout the first half, the Wave finally broke through in the second. They controlled the final third all night, but their chances became far more dangerous, and decisive, after the break.
After Godfrey’s score, her third of the season, the Wave’s high press continued. In the 62nd minute, San Diego-local 18-year old Barcenas substituted in for Godfrey with rousing cheers from the crowd of 12,810, while Gabi Portilho came in for Ludmila. In the 71st minute, Kiki Pickett came in for Mimi Van Zanten.
With fresh legs in, Dudinha passed to Barcenas who got the ball, changed direction to get space, and kicked a sharp shot that entered the middle of the box, glanced off the bottom of the cross bar and into the goal in the 72nd minute. Barcenas celebrated with her team and then raised her arms in the air, asking to hear it from the crowd. The crowd responded with increased energy.
Goals begin at 6:28 and 7:22 in the highlights. Credit: Wave FC Media
“Just hearing when I get subbed in the crowd, I think it really … gives me that confidence, knowing that I have the whole stadium behind me,” said Barcenas in the postgame press conference. “Being from here, I'm really happy to be playing on the field, and I'm proud when I step on the field.”
In the 86th minute, Nya Harrison replaced Perle Morroni. In 87th minute, Jordan Fusco replaced Dudinha.
Why the Second Goal Matters Beyond the Win
The season is young but it’s better to be near the top of the standings than near the bottom at any time of the season. The Wave are second in the standings with nine points. Four teams have nine points and the Wave are in second place because the first tiebreaker is goal differential. The Wave’s goal differential is four compared with Seattle and Portland who each have three, and Angel City with seven. The second tiebreaker is most total wins, and the third is most goals scored. To continue to stay near the top in the standings, beyond wins, Wave FC must maintain pressure, continue to hunt for goals with a lead, and preserve clean sheets, as they did on Saturday.
Next Up
Wave travel to the east coast and Gillette Stadium to play the Boston Legacy (0-3-0) for the first time ever on Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m. PDT on NWSL +.
Notable
The Wave earned its first shutout of the season.
Leah Freeman played in goal for the third straight game. Starters were Kennedy Wesley, Kristen McNabb, and Perle Morroni. midfielders Kimmi Ascanio, Kenza Dali, Lia Godfrey, Laurina Fazer, and forwards Ludmila and Dudinha.
Wave FC are top in most team stats, including shots on target (34), shots taken (54), and total passes (2138).
At the half, the crowd rose to their feet when superstar, local San Diegan and new signee Catarino Macario came onto the field. Flag bearers held flags with the letters W, A, V, E, and the team logo. Fans then watched a brief recorded conversation between Alex Morgan (on an iPad) and Macario on the big screen.
“I've been a longtime fan of Cat when I was at Arsenal, and we when we knew she was going to leave Lyon of course, she was a player I would have liked to have at Arsenal. And now the world is funny, right? You missed that with one opportunity, but now it came another opportunity, and was able to make that happen. And I think Cat as a player, she's also a versatile player… She's one of the few players in world football that has the ability to both be a real threat in behind, but also being able to operate in front of a defending back line, which makes her so so so hard to defend as a player.”
Catarino Mascarino was named to the Wave on Friday. Credit: Wave FC Media
Ever wondered . . .
In what order the team record is provided? It’s wins, losses, draws. When you see “Wave FC (3-1-0)” you know that the Wave FC won three games, lost one, and have not tied any games.
How point totals work? Teams earn three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.
Top Photo: Dudinha carries Melanie Barcenas in celebration. Credit: Wave FC Media
