San Diego Wave FC (6-6-3, 24 points) turned the tide tonight and ended its winless streak with a 2-1 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC (7-5-4, 25 points) at Snapdragon Stadium with goals by Makenzy Doniak and Amirah Ali.

Doniak scored her third goal of the season in the 17th minute to open the scoring tonight. Midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard started the play with a throw-in which found midfielder Jaedyn Shaw on the right side of the 18-yard-box. The 18-year-old beat two Gotham players before crossing it into Doniak’s path in the center of the box where she perfectly timed her run and shot into the top right corner of the net.

San Diego doubled its lead in the 85th minute when second-half substitute Amirah Ali connected on her second goal of the season. San Diego native Melanie Barcenas started a beautiful sequence for the Wave, as the midfielder passed it through to an ongoing Ali. The forward took her first touch of the game past a diving Gotham goalkeeper and slotted to the back of the net. 

Gotham pulled one back in stoppage time, but San Diego earned all three points to capture the win. 

Next on the schedule: San Diego Wave FC hit the road to Florida to face the Orlando Pride on Friday, August 25, at 4:00 p.m. PT, at Exploria Stadium. The match will be broadcasted locally on FOX 5 and streamed nationally on Paramount+.

Notes:

  • Midfielder Melanie Barcenas became the youngest player in league history to earn an assist at 15-years, 9 months and 3 weeks old.
  • Forward Alex Morgan was back in the starting lineup following her return from the FIFA Women’s World Cup with the U.S. Women’s National Team. 
  • Midfielder Makenzy Doniak celebrated her 100th NWSL appearance prior to the match before scoring her third goal of the season. Doniak earned her 100th appearance on July 8 and has made a total of 30 appearances for the Wave since joining in the club’s inaugural season.
  • Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw earned her second assist of the season. 
  • Recently signed forward Kyra Carusa made her NWSL and club debut as a substitute in the 68th minute. The San Diego native recently returned from the FIFA Women’s World Cup where she represented the Republic of Ireland during the team’s historic first appearance in the tournament.
  • Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan returned from the FIFA Women’s World Cup after starting every match for the Canadian National Team. Sheridan was out of this match due to a red card in the club’s regular season match on June 24. 

Box Score:
San Diego Wave FC 2:1 NJ/NY Gotham FC

Scoring Summary:
SD – Doniak (3) (Shaw 2) 17’
SD – Ali (2) (Barcenas 1) 85’
NY – Stengel (2) 90+’

Misconduct Summary:
NY – Stengel (Caution) 44’
SD – Doniak (Caution) 56’
NY – Assistant Coach (Caution) 87’

San Diego Wave FC: GK Yáñez, D Pogarch (Cortez 84’), D Riehl, D Westphal, D Dahlkemper, M Dougherty-Howard, M Colaprico (Enge 56’), M Hill (Ali 84’), M Shaw (Barcenas 68’), F Doniak, F Morgan (Carusa 68’)

Subs not used: GK Brzykcy, D Girma, M Briede, M Turnbow

NJ/NY Gotham FC: GK Smith, D Lopez, D Jean (O’Hara 84’), D Bruninha (Shim 84’), M Zerboni (Long 30’), M Martin, M Sheehan (Onumonu 90’), F Purce (Ryan 26’), F Stengal, F Nighswonger, F Farrelly

Subs not used: GK Haught, D Krieger, D Freeman, F Smith

Stats Summary: SD / NY
Shots: 6 / 12
Shots on Target: 3 / 3
Saves: 3 / 1
Corners: 2 / 7
Fouls: 12 / 13
Offsides: 3 / 4
Possession: 38.3% / 61.7%