Wave Ends Season on 3-1 Victory Note, But Miss NWSL Playoffs for First Time

San Diego Wave FC ended a three-game losing streak Sunday, beating host Racing Louisville 3-1.

The club capped off its season on a positive note after a dissonant journey.

But the victory didn’t propel the local club to the postseason, missing it for the first time in its
history. The Wave (6-13-7, 25 points) finished in 10th place after winning the Shield as first in the 2023 regular season.

Scheduled to pay its last match at home, the Wave played its “home” game 2,100 miles away at Lynn Family Stadium. Snapdragon’s Stadium was deemed by FIFA to be too chewed up to be safe for the players.

“It was a long week on Friday,” Wave interim head coach Landon Donovan said after the match. “These poor women have dealt with a lot all year, and sort of just in some ways it was a fitting end, but I am so incredibly proud of them.”

He added: “What we started building here is really special given the circumstances, and it’s starting to feel, certainly tonight, it felt like there was a turning point.”

San Diego forward Jaedyn Shaw scored in the third minute to earn her team-leading fourth goal of the season. The 19-year-old took a quick touch past her defender, firing a powerful 20-yard strike through traffic, finding the far post to give the Wave the early lead. 

Shaw’s goal was her 13th . She holds the record for the most goals scored by a teenager in NWSL history. 
 
After the match, Shaw said: “The goal meant a lot and with the season that we’ve had this year.”

In the 22nd minute, the Wave earned a free kick right outside the 18-yard box. Midfielder María Sánchez stood over the ball and hit a shot that ricocheted off the post into the back net to double the lead for San Diego.

The goal marked the first direct free-kick goal in San Diego’s regular-season history and in Sánchez’s NWSL career. 
 
Racing Louisville (7-12-7, 28 points) pulled one back in the 68th minute with a goal from Bethany Balcer.

Just seven minutes later, San Diego second-half substitute Savannah McCaskill scored her first goal for the club to secure the win.  It was the first goal of her San Diego career.

McCaskill has now scored for five NWSL clubs.

Forward Kyra Carusa earned her first start since June 22, while defender Christen Westphal earned her first start since Sept. 8.

“Resilence” was a word that echoed throughout the post-match press conference.

Shaw and Donovan stressed that the team possessed toughness through the turbulence of the second half of the season.

Head coach Casey Stoney was dismissed after a seven-game losing streak in June. Donovan was named the second interim coach in August.

Donovan’s future with the team is unknown. The plan was to not discuss next season until this season is over. Donovan said he had to think it through and discuss it with his family if Wave leadership extends an invitation to continue.

Time restraints and the pressure for results made the transition to his methodology difficult, he said.

Yet asked about what gave him satisfaction, Donovan said: “I love impacting their lives in a positive way — and that can mean on the field, that could mean off the field. … They know that I love them like, like family. … I don’t fake that and I hope that that they respect that and appreciate that.”

Donovan went on: “That’s what brings me joy every day. I’m really competitive. I want to win, but building culture and something that’s sustainable over time is what brings me the most passion.

“I’ve seen a lot a lot of growth from this team, and I think in that way, the future is really bright for them,” the soccer legend concluded.

He recently announced that, beginning Nov. 12, he would host a podcast with Tim Howard on Tuesdays called Unfiltered Soccer.

The Orlando Pride finished the season in first place with 60 points. Playoffs begin next weekend.