SAN DIEGO (June 27, 2024) – San Diego Wave FC (3-5-6, 15 points) returns home to face the Chicago Red Stars (5-7-2, 17 points) at Snapdragon Stadium on Friday, June 28. The club will host its annual Pride Night with tickets available here. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. PT and the match will be streamed on NWSL+ and broadcast locally on FOX 5/KUSI.
Heading into the fifth matchup between the two clubs, the Wave holds a 3-1-0 record over the Red Stars. The last meeting between the two was last season, when San Diego fell to Chicago for the first time in a 1-0 match on July 1, 2023, at SeatGeek Stadium. The lone goal came in the added minutes of the first half when defender Tatumn Milazzo sent a first-time cross that found the head of former Chicago forward Ella Stevens who earned the Red Stars the game-winner.
Last Time Out
In San Diego’s last match, the team played the Houston Dash to a scoreless draw on Saturday, June 22 at Shell Energy Stadium. With the result, the Wave recorded its fifth clean sheet of the season, with goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan notching her 22nd career shutout for the club. The best chance of the night for both sides fell to San Diego in the 63rd minute when forward Mya Jones crossed a ball to the far post that fell to forward Kyra Carusa. The San Diego native hit the ball just over the line, but it was determined that Carusa was offside through VAR, leaving the two sides to split the points.
Chicago is coming off a 3-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park on Sunday, June 23. Forward Mallory Swanson opened the scoring in the 12th minute when she hit a back-heel volley over her defender and continued on the attack before taking a shot at the edge of the box that gave the Red Stars the lead. The Courage would equalize just four minutes later when forward Tyler Lussi received a perfectly placed ball through the Chicago defense and took a shot toward the near post. Forward Ashely Sanchez added to the scoring for North Carolina in the 51st minute when she hit a first-time shot outside the box that caught goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher off guard. In the 81st minute, midfielder Meredith Speck finished a cross at the back post to secure the third and final goal for the Courage.
Players to Watch
San Diego forward Mya Jones scored her first professional goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Wednesday, June 19. The Rookie was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and has since earned eight starts in her last nine matches. The goal came just two minutes into the second half when Jones beat her defender on the dribble and charged toward the goal to find the equalizer for the Wave.
Chicago’s Mallory Swanson leads the team in goals and assists entering Friday’s match. Swanson has scored in back-to-back matches for the Red Stars with her fifth of the season coming in the club’s last match against the North Carolina Courage. In the Red Stars match against the Kansas City Current on June 14, the forward opened the scoring in the 6th minute when she beat her defender and took a shot that went through the arms of goalkeeper Adriana Franch. In the 90th minute, Swanson’s corner kick found the head of defender Sam Staab for the late-game equalizer and her third assist of the season.
How to Watch
Friday’s match will be played at Snapdragon Stadium with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. PT. The match will be streamed on NWSL+ and broadcast locally on FOX 5/KUSI. Tickets for Friday’s match can be purchased here and tickets a part of this year’s Pride Pack, include a limited edition Wave FC Pride Belt Bag. Fans who purchase a Pride Pack can pick up their belt bag at Turf Pad inside the stadium. A portion of each Pride Pack sold includes a donation to San Diego Pride.
