Paced by Alex Morgan’s two goals, the San Diego Wave won its first-ever game Saturday with a 4-2 victory over visiting Angel City FC in the 2022 Challenge Cup of the National Women’s Soccer League.
The club played to a cheering crowd of 5,158 at Torero Stadium at USD and helped the Wave earn three points for the preseason win.
Morgan was key for San Diego (1-1-1) as she helped set up the first goal in addition to her pair of scores, one in each half. Jodie Taylor scored (19th minute) as did second-half substitute Amirah Ali (81st minute), sending in her first professional goal on a breakaway.
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“We felt really good coming into this week,” Morgan said. “We’re all just learning our strengths and weaknesses and in what way we can support each other. This game were are able to take that next step forward together.”
The world-class player added, “I think we’re just feeding off of the crowd energy. You know we didn’t get the result that we wanted last week, but we knew we had an opportunity this week to turn it around in front of a great crowd and we felt really good coming into this week.”
The scoring started with Morgan sending a volley from left to right to Taylor who sent a shot past Angel City FC goalkeeper Didi Haracic for the first home goal in club history.
Taylor put back her own header after her shot was blocked by Haracic at her line. Taylor’s scoring play was off of the many Wave crosses in the first 28 minutes. Wave sent in a total of 14 crosses to one by Angel City during that span.
“I think our confidence is growing,” Taylor said. The performance of the nonstarters showed the depth of the team, she added.
Angel City FC (0-3-1) tied the match at 1-1 on a miscue by the Wave defense. Tegan McGrady sent a ball rolling into her own net in the 38th minute following an errant pass to Kailen Sheridan, her goalkeeper.
But the Wave answered with one of Morgan’s goals four minutes into stoppage of the first half.
Morgan charged onto a loose ball inside the left side of the Angel City penalty box. The 32-year-old found a spot between Haracic and her right post. Morgan didn’t waste her chance and buried her first goal with Wave, good for a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
Wave head coach Casey Stoney said she didn’t smile often.
“Players will tell you that,” she said. “Listen, I’m overcome with pride in terms of today’s performance. In terms of the fact that we got pegged back twice after going in front.”
“I thought it showed real character,” Stoney said. “Quality players showed their quality on the pitch. Alex [Morgan], Jodie [Taylor] and the likes of those, including Sofia [Jakobsson] caused real problems (for the opponents).”
“We looked dangerous tonight,” she said.
Stoney summed up her team’s performance. “Your first win is really important. I thought we absolutely dominated the first half.”
“The strength of our bench was unbelievable,” she continued. “I can’t fault anyone. I thought everyone was outstanding.”
The team needs to do a better job on scoring on corner kicks, though, she said.
It was the first time Taylor and Morgan started together in a match. They played together for 30 minutes in the second half of the first meeting between these clubs March 19. That was the inaugural match for the Wave in which it scored late to tie.
Sheridan had to make a couple of standout saves early in the second half as Angel City’s Christine Press sent a floating ball from left to right looking for the far post in the 51st minute.
Sheridan jumped to slap it away with one hand. The ball then ricocheted off her own defender forcing Sheridan to immediately dive to her right and trap the ball.
Press would eventually score for the visitors. She tied the match 2-2 in the 59th minute when she brought down a cross from Jasmyne Spence between a pair of defenders, set herself up and fired past Sheridan. This was the first time Morgan and Press scored in the same match since they both scored for the U.S. in a 6-1 win against New Zealand on July 24, 2021.
Morgan put the home side back in front in the 72nd minute for good, firing in a volley off a cross from Christen Westphal.
Ali substituted for Morgan in the 76th minute.
Ali capped off the afternoon with a goal off a breakaway in the 81st minute.
Wave FC will make its second road trip of the preseason as it visits OL Reign on April 14 at Lumen Field in Seattle.