Goals from van Egmond, Morgan help Wave FC fight back from one-goal deficit and earn ticket to Portland
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (October 16, 2022) – San Diego Wave Fútbol Club punched its ticket to the NWSL Semifinals tonight with a 2-1 victory over Chicago Red Stars. The team fought back from a one-goal deficit with a 67th-minute goal from Emily van Egmond and an overtime game-winner from Alex Morgan to earn a trip to face the #2 Portland Thorns next Sunday for a chance to compete in the 2022 NWSL Final.
With a crowd of 26,215 at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego Wave FC broke the NWSL Playoff attendance record tonight. The previous record was set hours prior by the Houston Dash with 21,284 fans at PNC Stadium. San Diego now holds both the NWSL Playoff attendance record, as well as the NWSL regular-season record of 32,000 broken on Sept. 17.
The Red Stars took an early lead in the 10th minute with a startling shot from outside the box. With plenty of time left to equalize, Wave FC persisted and grew stronger throughout the match.
Wave FC’s equalizer finally came in the 67th minute from Emily van Egmond in the center of the box. Sofia Jakobsson started the play by letting the ball run through her legs to fake out and beat the Chicago defender before making a solo run down the line to the away side box. Jakobsson then passed the ball to Morgan who attempted a shot before the ball landed perfectly in place for van Egmond to score her first goal of the 2022 season.
After finishing the 90 minutes even 1-1, San Diego entered 30 minutes of overtime with Chicago as they both searched for a lead to advance to the next round.
Amirah Ali came on as a game changer in the 103rd minute, and just one minute later, nearly scored the game-winning goal with a shot that went just inches right after beating out Chicago defenders inside the box.
After applying more pressure and persistence, San Diego Wave FC’s game-winning goal came in the 110th minute as Alex Morgan electrified the crowd with a cunning long shot from the corner of the box.
With tonight’s victory, San Diego Wave FC continues playoff action on Sunday, October 23, against the Portland Thorns for the NWSL Semi-Final, kicking off at 2 p.m. PT. As the first expansion team in league history to make the NWSL playoffs, Wave FC continues its run next Sunday and looks for a spot in the NWSL Final in Washington D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 29.
