Wave waste first half performance in 2-1 loss against Bay FC

Wave defender Hanna Lundkvist (left) defends against Bay FC forward and Chula Vista native Scarlett Camberos (right) in 2-1 defeat. (Photo Credit: San Diego Wave FC)

San Diego Wave FC played well for 55 minutes before continuing a winless away-match streak in 2024 with a 2-1 loss against Bay FC on Friday night in San Jose.

Multiple key players like Naomi Girma, Abby Dahlkemper, were available after being out with injury over the past few weeks, but the Wave offense still had some of their best players like Jaedyn Shaw, Alex Morgan and Makenzy Doniak out with injury.

The Wave dominated the first half with more possession,eight shots, and many offensive chances while holding the Bay Area team to only one shot and zero on target.

The first goal came as many have this season from the Wave off a corner kick set piece. It happened in the 23rd minute with Savannah McCaskill taking the corner. McCaskill sent a great ball into the center of the box bouncing off many players before the loose ball moved toward Wave midfielder Danielle Colaprico. Colaprico could have shot the ball, but had a defender right in front of her so she tried to pass the ball to her right. The ball deflected off a defender in the box right toward Kyra Carusa who gave a great full force shot on goal that the keeper couldn’t even dive for to make it 1-0. 

The first goal came in the 55th minute and was also the first shot on goal all match by Bay FC thanks to some great movement by midfielder Kiki Pickett. Pickett got the ball near the middle of the pitch and juked Wave midfielder Emily Van Egmond leaving lots of space in front of her to move the ball forward. Pickett did just that, running the ball into the penalty area and ultimately drawing the Wave backline toward her on the right side leaving the left wide open. Pickett saw the space and passed the ball toward Scarlett Camberos on the left side. Wave defender Christen Westphal was close by, but fell and seemingly was injured on the play leaving plenty of room for Camberos to control the ball and send in a strong shot to equalize at 1-1. 

Camberos is a Chula Vista native and Bonita Vista High alumna and the goal marks her first goal with Bay FC and second against her hometown club. The first came in a victory for Angel City in San Diego last season.

Head Coach Casey Stoney said after the match the team needs to change their mentality as the opposition scored one goal and her squad “went to pieces.”

“We can’t afford to do that. We’ve got to make good decisions when the play’s against us, we’ve got to be more compact and make good sensible choices so we can get rhythm (to) get back into our game, and I don’t think we did that,” Stoney said.

The sequence to the second goal began with a poor defensive clearance by Abby Dahlkemper, who was playing her first match in nearly a month coming off an injury. Bay FC easily recovered the ball and sent it to Pickett in the midfield. Pickett sent a great through ball past the Wave’s backline for Dorian Bailey which forced Sheridan out of the goal to stop a shot on goal. Bailey avoided Sheridan and sent a well placed pass to the center of the box. Lundkvist was there and may have been able to clear it, but Bay FC forward Rachael Kundananji applied pressure to her from behind  which forced Hanna Lundkvist’s foot to strike the ball for the game-winning goal to make it 2-1 in the 87th minute. 

“Honestly it’s not good enough. It’s not good enough. We’ve got to start scoring goals. You can’t have that many chances and can’t be in the final third that many times and not score, we have to be better in those areas,” said Stoney. “I don't want to put pressure on the players and start smashing at things, but we have to (because) it's not good enough. Both goals are preventable. I don’t think we defended the second very well either, like clear your lines, basics of defending, get the ball away from the goal.

“I think it’s a hard lesson for our players, but it’s my job. It’s my responsibility to get results and this loss is on me, and it’s making sure that I do enough now between now and Thursday to prepare the team so that we can get more goals and we can get three points on the table,” said Stoney.  

The Wave play their next match on the road on Thursday, May 23, against their southern California rivals Angel City FC at BMO Stadium. Across all competitions the record between the two teams is identical at 3-3-2.