Wave offense still stagnant in scoreless draw against Angel City
San Diego Wave Captain Abby Dahlkemper made her return to the starting lineup against Angel City FC after being out due to injury in a 0-0 draw.(Photo credit: San Diego Wave FC)
San Diego Wave FC continued their winless away streak in a scoreless draw against their Southern California rivals, Angel City FC in front of an announced crowd of 19,103 fans.
Head coach Casey Stoney started her post-match press conference by encapsulating the feeling around the whole season for the club thus far saying, “It’s the story of our season, we can’t score goals.”
“(I’m) still bitterly disappointed to walk away with a point. I thought the first half we were very good, I thought we fell off a little bit in the beginning of the second half,” head coach Casey Stoney said after the match. “We needed to get a little bit of more control back, but I thought when we got in the box we were dangerous, we were creative, but we had 13 shots and our best chances didn't even hit the target.”
Of the 13 shots by the Wave only four were on target and nine were from inside the penalty area. The Wave had an 1.49 xG, according to Stats Perform led by forward María Sánchez who received many passes toward the back post that she was unable to finish.
Angel City and the Wave are now completely even across all competitions at 3-3-3 and nearly even on the National Women’s Soccer League table with 12 points and 11 points respectively following the draw.
On the defensive end the Wave started their ideal center back pairing of Naomi Girma and Abby Dahlkemper for the first time since April 19, who were both out with injuries. Stoney highlighted Dahlkemper’s ability to send a long range pass that was at times difficult to defend for Angel City.
The best chance for the Wave came in the ninth minute of stoppage time in a free kick opportunity. Jaedyn Shaw took the kick and sent a cross into a dangerous area of the box. Emily Van Egmond headed the pass well, but it hit the top of the crossbar. The Wave got the first chance on the deflection and Alex Morgan headed it, but ACFC goalkeeper DiDi Haracic made an excellent diving save to keep it scoreless. The ball was cleared for a Wave corner kick, but it resulted in nothing and a few seconds later the referee blew the final whistle.
San Diego and the rest of the NWSL have a week off for an international break. The Wave currently have nine players that have been called up for international friendlies during the week. The Wave play their next match at home against a dominant Orlando Pride who lead the standings and are currently undefeated through the 2024 season under their new head coach Seb Hines.
