SAN DIEGO (March 23, 2026) – San Diego Wave FC returns to Snapdragon Stadium for two matches in a span of four days at Snapdragon Stadium, hosting Portland Thorns FC on Wednesday, March 25. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT, with the game being broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
San Diego and Portland’s matchup history is a competitive one with both matches in the 2025 regular season ending in draws outside of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs. The quarter-final match on November 9 saw a scoreless draw until the first extra time period when Portland’s forward Reilyn Turner found the game winning goal to help the Thorns secure a spot in the semifinal match. Across all competitions, Portland is winless in six matches when playing in San Diego (D3 L3).
Last Time Out:
San Diego is coming off its first win of the 2026 season after battling for 2-1 victory over the Utah Royals on March 22. Brazilian international Dudinha found the opening goal against Utah in the 18th minute when an error by the Royals’ defense allowed the forward to step in to intercept and put the ball in the back of the net. Utah leveled the match in the 67th minute when the ball fell to Lara Prašnika who took a shot that deflected into the back of the net to make it 1-1. San Diego pushed to find its game winner through the end of the second half and was successful when Kimmi Ascanio found space to dribble towards goal and lay the ball off to Kenza Dali, who played a first-time through ball into the path of rookie Lia Godfrey. Godfrey slotted the ball into the corner to secure the 2-1 victory and become the first Rookie of 2026 to score a game winning goal.
Portland has earned back-to-back matches with its most recent win being a 2-0 match against Seattle Reign FC on March 20. Despite playing shorthanded for much of the match, the Thorns struck twice in the first half, with Pietra Tordin opening the scoring in the 28th minute before assisting Reilyn Turner for the Club’s second goal nearly 10 minutes later in the 37th minute. Portland held Seattle without a shot on target to secure a clean sheet and move into third place in the NWSL standings.
Players to Watch:
Dudinha scored the Wave’s first goal of 2026 in the 18th minute against Utah in Sunday’s match highlighting her success as an attacker. Five of the Brazilian forward’s six career NWSL goals have been scored in the opening half hour of San Diego’s matches, more than any other player since she made her league debut in August of 2025.
Thorns forward Pietra Tordin has led the way for Portland in the beginning weeks of the 2026 season being directly involved in all three of the team’s goals (one goal, two assists). With the results, Tordin is the second Thorns player to record at least one assist in each of her first two appearances of a season (Tobin Heath, 2016).
How to Watch:
San Diego Wave FC will host the Portland Thorns at Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday, March 25. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT, with the match being broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
