Match Preview: San Diego Wave FC vs. Houston Dash

San Diego Wave FC (8-6-3, 27 points) returns home to Snapdragon Stadium this weekend to host the Houston Dash (4-5-8, 20 points) on Sunday, September 3, at 5:00 p.m. PT. The match will be streamed nationally on Paramount+. 

In the Wave’s previous match, San Diego defeated the Orlando Pride on the road in a 2-1 victory at Exploria Stadium on Friday. The match featured goals from defender Abby Dahlkemper and forward Kyra Carusa. Dahlkemper, in her third game back following back surgery, scored her first regular season goal since 2016, while Carusa, a San Diego native who just joined the Wave two weeks ago, scored her first NWSL goal. With the win, the Wave is currently above the playoff line in third place with 27 points.

The Dash is coming off a 1-1 draw against the Kansas City Current. Houston was trailing in the 67th minute until forward Michelle Alozie beat three defenders and scored off a shot from just inside the box for the equalizer.

The last time the Wave faced the Dash was on May 20 when San Diego defeated the home team in a 3-0 win at Shell Enegery Stadium. In that matchup, San Diego’s opening goal came from Morgan in the second minute of the game, making it the fastest goal of her NWSL career. Midfielder Sierra Enge scored her first NWSL goal by doubling the lead in the 58th minute and defender Madison Pogarch added a final goal for the Wave in the 79th minute while also recording her first ever NWSL goal.

The San Diego Wave will culminate their World Cup Welcome Back match on Sunday with a post-game ceremony on the field for 13 players, including Wave FC’s Kyra Carusa (IRE), Naomi Girma (USA), Sofia Jakobsson (SWE), Alex Morgan (USA), Kailen Sheridan (CAN), and Emily van Egmond (AUS).