On the 226th day of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League regular season, the San Diego Wave played a complete game.
The Wave went on the road, got goals from their healthy stars, and beat Racing Louisville 3-1 in front of 2,137 fans on Sunday afternoon in the final game of a long, maddening season.
At 6-13-7, the Wave did not make the NWSL playoffs. They finished 10th in a 14-team league.
But Sunday’s performance gives interim coach Landon Donovan and the club’s promising core something to build on in 2025. (Assuming Donovan and many others return.)
“I am so incredibly proud of them,” Donovan said. “What we’ve started building here is really special given the circumstances and, certainly tonight, it felt like there was a turning point. It’s a group that’s had to become really resilient given what’s going on, but I’m really proud of their effort.”
Jaedyn Shaw, the San Diego star who missed a large chunk of the season after suffering an injury during Olympic training, gave San Diego a 1-0 lead in Sunday’s third minute.
María Sánchez made it 2-0 with a goal in the 22nd minute.
Racing Louisville cut the lead to 2-1 with a 68th-minute goal only for the Wave’s Savannah McCaskill to punch one in five minutes later.
It was the kind of attack — and response — that was mostly missing throughout a season where very little went according to plan.
General manager Molly Downtain resigned in February, just before the start of the season, and was replaced by Camille Ashton. Coach Casey Stoney was fired in late June, replaced first by Paul Buckle and then Donovan. Last month brought news that the club’s sale from Ron Burkle to Arthur Levine and Lauren Leichtman was complete.
Star Alex Morgan, held scoreless during the 2024 season, retired in September after announcing she was expecting her second child. Another original Wave member, midfielder Abby Dahlkemper, asked for (and received) a trade to her hometown team of Bay FC. The Wave parted ways with forward Sofia Jakobsson and Sierra Enge and signed two players from France as they followed President Jill Ellis’ desire for a higher-scoring attack.
Even Sunday’s win came with a bit of a black cloud. The match was supposed to be played in San Diego, but a FIFA official ruled Friday that Snapdragon Stadium was unplayable due to poor field conditions. The club flew Saturday to Louisville.
“It was the biggest test of resilience,” Shaw said. “We’ve had a lot of obstacles, a lot of adversity this year. For us to end this on a high note, regardless of making the playoffs or not … hopefully, we can do better next (year).”