Match Recap: San Diego Wave dominate Portland Thorns 3-1

San Diego Wave FC returned home after a brief trip to Utah to face Portland Thorns FC at Snapdragon Stadium.

Head coach Jonas Eidevall made two changes to the starting lineup, with Lia Godfrey earning her first start in place of Gabi Portilho and Kimmi Ascanio starting instead of Laurina Fazer. Leah Freeman earned her second start between the posts, after an impressing earlier in the week against the Utah Royals.

Portland entered the game with a perfect record, and the Wave were ready to crash the party.

The First Half

The Wave gained possession quickly into the first half. The attack overloaded the right side of the pitch, with Mimi Van Zanten, Kenza Dali, Lia Godfrey, and Gia Corley all passing through the Thorns midfield.

The plan paid off well. Corley earned the ball at the top of the penalty box, slid it to Dudinha, who shot across the face of the goal and into the right back corner of the net.

Just two minutes in, the Wave took the lead.

Leah Freeman made her first save of the night shortly after, diving to stop a shot on her left side. After securing the ball, she coordinated with the back line to build up the next attack.

The Wave maintained possession for a few minutes, but were disrupted by the Portland midfield. Portland quickly counterattacked,. Freeman dove to the left to block the first shot, which ricocheted off the goalpost. Pietra Tordin collected the rebound, and quickly shot the ball to the right side of the goal, leveling the game.

The Wave and the Thorns traded possession, both teams unable to get past the other's defense. The Wave overloaded the right side nearly every time they had a chance to build their attack.

Around the 22 minute mark, Dudinha took advantage of the open space on the left side of the pitch. She flew down the field, carrying the ball towards the center of the box. Portland tried to defend, but after a relatively unsuccessful tackle, Ludmila collected the ball and passed it back towards Dudinha. Thorns goalkeeper Morgan Messner collected the ball before it became too dangerous.

On the next Thorns attack, Leah Freeman earned the adoration of the crowd. Portland launched a shot to Freemans upper right side, and she punched away the ball convincingly, and the crowd jumped up to cheer her on.

The Wave regained possession. The attack relentlessly pressed towards the goal. The Wave took multiple shots, and continued to recycle them until Dudinha passed the ball to Lia Godfrey, who put the Wave in the lead.

The game continued with both teams trying to control the possession and hold off the other's counterattacks. The fourth official held up his sign signaling there would be three minutes of extra time.

The half ended uneventfully, and the Wave returned to the locker room to prepare to close out the game.

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The Second Half

The Wave attack exploded immediately into the second half. The team pushed high into the box, shooting at Morgan Messner again and again.

Portland relied on counterattacks to give their defense a break. Fullbacks Mimi Van Zanten and Perle Morroni made quick work of Portland's breaks up the flanks.

Less than ten minutes into the second half, Morroni earned a yellow card for a bad foul. The Thorns had a dangerous freekick on the right side of the field. They crossed the ball into the box, and found a header on target. Freeman made quick work of the ball, pushing it beyond the goalposts.

The Thorns earned a corner, and tried the same thing from the left side. Freeman shut down the shot cleanly, and earned a goal kick for San Diego.

Gia Corley, Dudinha, Morroni and Dali began to put pressure on the left side of the pitch. Their passes wove up the field, zig-zaging towards the box. Corley had a particularly threatening cross, that was knocked away by Portland's defense.

The Wave earned a corner. Dudinha launched the ball through the air, finding Kimmi Ascanio's head. Ascanio flicked the ball to the left, just a little too far, and it missed the goal by inches.

At the 64th minute, Jonas Eidevall brought on Kiki Pickett for Mimi Van Zanten. The like-for-like exchange brought fresh legs to defend the flanks and to link with Godfrey offensively. During the Coachella Valley Invitational, Pickett and Godfrey's connection led to dangerous bursts of energy on the right side.

By the 70th minute, the Wave's momentum grew exponentially. The home team continued to force saves, and Portland's attack struggled under pressure to shoot on target.

Eidevall brought on Gabi Portilho and Melanie Barcenas for Godfrey and Dudinha. Eidevall's refresh of the attack illuminated his plan for the final ten minutes of the game: score more goals.

Center backs Kennedy Wesley and Kristen McNabb solidly defended in front of goal tonight, keeping close to the Thorns attackers and forcing them to shoot under duress.

The Wave scored just three minutes after the substitutes came on the field. Kenza Dali passed the ball to Barcenas, who tore through the right flank and shot at the goal. The ball bounced off Messner, and Barcenas made sure the ball went into the net with her second attempt. The Wave extended their lead, with the score line reading 3-1.

Freeman made sure the Wave kept their lead. After a Thorns corner, the ball bounced through the Wave's defense. Portland got a quick shot in, and Freeman instinctively reacted, blocking the goal with her feet.

The referee added two minutes of extra time. The Wave used their final substitution in the last minute of the game to bring on Jordan Fusco and Nya Harrison. The time management from Eidevall limited the opportunity for the Thorns to score.

The Wave played keep-a-way for the last few moments of the game, earning their second win and spoiling the Thorns' perfect record. The Wave had 11 shots on target, Ludmila had four that didn't convert.

The Wave's performance was dominant, and pieces of the puzzle fell into place. With another quick turnaround, the Wave will want to keep the momentum for their game Saturday at home against the Chicago Stars.