SAN DIEGO (Aug. 31, 2024) – San Diego Wave FC returns to Snapdragon Stadium to host Washington Spirit on Sunday, Sept. 1 for the club’s Military Appreciation Night, presented by PenFed Credit Union. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. PT with tickets available here. The match will be streamed live on NWSL+ and broadcast locally on FOX 5/KUSI.
The series between San Diego and Washington currently sits in the Spirit’s favor with the record-holding 1-2-2 heading into the sixth overall matchup. In the most recent meeting, the Wave split the points with the Spirit in a 1-1 draw on June 15 at Audi Field. San Diego opened the scoring in the 20th minute when forward María Sánchez hit a perfect cross to the back post that found forward Jaedyn Shaw who buried the shot for her third goal of the season. However, the Spirit would find the equalizer in the 96th minute when rookie Croix Bethune found a ball over the top that she struck to earn a point each.
Last Time Out
In San Diego’s last match, the club fell 2-1 to Angel City FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Aug. 24. Forward Alyssa Thompson scored the first goal of the match in the 20th minute and doubled the lead in the 29th minute when she went on the attack and sent the ball just past the diving Kailen Sheridan. San Diego was able to pull one back in the final minutes of the match when defender Abby Dahlkemper headed the ball into the back of the net off a perfectly served free kick from forward Maria Sánchez.
The Washington Spirit are coming off a 4-1 win over Kansas City Current on Aug. 25. The team kicked off the match with a goal in the ninth minute from midfielder Paige Metayer and another just five minutes later from Ouleymata Sarr in the 14th minute, making it her team-high eighth of the season. Trinity Rodman then added one for the Spirit in the 51st minute before Kansas City pulled one back in the 64th minute by way of Temwa Chawinga. The home team finalized the win in the 73rd minute when midfielder Leicy Santos found the Spirit’s fourth goal in her NWSL debut.
Players to Watch
San Diego’s Maria Sánchez recorded her third assist for the club in the Wave’s last match against Angel City. Sánchez secured the assist in the dying minutes of the match when the forward stepped up to take a free kick outside the box that connected perfectly with Dahlkemper’s run and header to prevent a shutout against the visitors. Sánchez, the Mexican international captain, signed with San Diego on April 20 and has since earned 14 starts, scoring two goals and now recording three assists across all competitions.
Rookie Spirit forward Croix Bethune leads the league in assists this season after notching her 10th of the year in Washington’s last match. Bethune’s record is now tied with Tobin Heath for the most assists in NWSL history during the regular season.
How to Watch
Sunday’s match between San Diego and Washington Spirit will be played at Snapdragon Stadium with kickoff slated for 5:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are available here and will be broadcast live on NWSL+ and streamed locally on FOX 5/KUSI.
