San Diego Wave FC (10-7-4, 34 points) earned its eighth shutout of the season in a scoreless draw against North Carolina Courage (8-7-6, 30 points) at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday evening. With the result, the Wave have earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage for a semifinal matchup. 

North Carolina nearly jumped out to an early lead when midfielder Narumi Miura sent a shot goalward. With the ball heading to the upper corner, defender Madison Pogarch raced to the goal to head the ball out for a corner for the save. 

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who earned her 30th career shutout, earned three saves on the night. In the 59th minute, a pass was lobbed over San Diego’s defense for midfielder Kerolin, who was making a run inside the area. Kerolin headed the ball cleanly, but Sheridan was prepared and parried it away. Eight minutes later, Kerolin hit a perfectly struck free kick from 20-yards out that Sheridan deflected wide to secure the clean sheet.

Next on the schedule: San Diego Wave FC hosts Racing Louisville FC in the club’s final regular season match on Sunday, Oct. 15 at Snapdragon Stadium. The Wave’s annual Fan Appreciation match, presented by PNC Bank, is set to kickoff at 2:00 p.m. PT. 

Social: Twitter – @sandiegowavefc | Instagram – @sandiegowavefc | Facebook

Notes:

  • The draw has earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage for a semifinal matchup for the Wave.
  • With one match remaining in the regular season, the team now sits in second place in the NWSL standings with 34 points, one point behind Portland Thorns. 
  • Defender Christen Westphal earned her 100th career appearance in the NWSL with the start tonight. Since joining the Wave in the club’s inaugural season, Westphal has appeared in 44 matches (42 starts). 
  • The shutout performance from Sheridan and the Wave marks the first time North Carolina have been held scoreless since June 3, 2023. 
  • The Wave hold a 2-0-2 all-time record against North Carolina. 

Box Score:
San Diego Wave FC 0:0 North Carolina Courage

Scoring Summary:
None

Misconduct Summary:
SD – Pogarch (Caution) 61’
NC – Kurtz (Caution) 67’
SD – Riehl (Caution) 79’
SD – Kornieck (Caution) 89’  

San Diego Wave FC: GK Sheridan, D Westphal, D Dahlkemper, D Girma, D Pogarch (Riehl 77’), M Hill (Jakobsson 77’), M Colaprico (Dougherty Howard 58’), M van Egmond, F Shaw (Kornieck 77’), F Morgan ©, F Carusa (Doniak 68’)

Subs not used: GK Yañez, F Barcenas, D Enge, F Ali

NC Courage: GK Murphy, D Kurtz, D Berkely, D Fox, D Williams, M Miura, M O’Sullivan ©, M Matsukubo (Pickett 80’), F Kerolin, F Boade (Madsen 80’), F Hopkins (Gejl 75’)

Subs not used: D Collins, M Pinto, F Ratcliffe, GK Rowland, M Tagliaferri, F Lussi

Stats Summary: NC / SD
Shots: 12 / 4
Shots on Target: 4 / 1
Saves: 1 / 3
Corners: 6 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 11
Offsides: 1 / 4
Possession: 58.9% / 41.1%

Attendance: 10,434