Photo copyright Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images.
Sunday’s National Women’s Soccer League slate closed out Matchweek 10 with San Diego climbing to the top of the table, Gotham continuing its defensive dominance, and North Carolina carrying momentum into the summer break with a third straight victory.
Byars seals late victory as Wave head into break on high note
The San Diego Wave FC headed into the league’s summer break atop the NWSL standings after earning a 2-0 road win over the Chicago Stars FC on Sunday.
Dudinha opened the scoring just three minutes into the match, giving San Diego an early advantage.
While both teams had opportunities on goal throughout the match, the Wave had the lion’s share of dangerous opportunities, with 17 shots (13 of which came from inside the box), compared to the Stars’ 10 shots, two from inside the box.
The Stars nearly found a dramatic equalizer deep into stoppage time when Jordyn Huitema slotted the ball into the back of the Wave goal, but it was overturned after video review for offside.
Moments later, second-half substitute Trinity Byars sealed the result with a goal in the 13th minute of stoppage time after a disastrous defensive turnover by the Stars. Byars’ goal put the finishing touch on another positive result for San Diego heading into the break. The Wave have a game in hand over the Utah Royals, who trail by one point in second place.
Though Chicago sit second-last in the table, fans can take encouragement from Mallory Swanson’s first start of the season after returning from maternity leave, another step forward in her comeback. She was replaced in the 64th minute, and did not record a shot on the day.
Hogan steps up as Gotham extends defensive dominance
Gotham FC continued its defensive excellence with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dash, recording a league-leading eighth clean sheet through 11 matches.
With goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger unavailable due to an abdominal injury suffered during the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, goalkeeper Shelby Hogan stepped in for her first action of the NWSL season and made three saves to preserve the shutout.
The game’s lone goal came in the 18th minute when defender Tierna Davidson delivered a long ball forward that found rookie Jordynn Dudley, who fired a left-footed finish into the net for the winner. Gotham consistently pressured Houston throughout the match, finishing with 15 shots, 13 of which were attempts from inside the box.
The result moved Gotham into fifth place entering the break, while Houston’s recent struggles continued. After a strong early-season stretch, the Dash now have just one win in their last eight matches.
Matsukubo, Ijeh lead Courage to third straight victory
North Carolina Courage extended its winning streak to three matches with a 2-1 road victory over Angel City FC.
After a scoreless first half, the match quickly opened up following the restart. In the 48th minute, Manaka Matsukubo threaded a pass through to Evelyn Ijeh, who calmly finished to give the Courage the lead. Ijeh has now recorded goals in three straight matches.
But Angel City responded almost immediately. Three minutes later, Evelyn Shores delivered a precise cross that found Maiara Niehues for the equalizer.
The decisive moment arrived in the 79th minute when Riley Jackson slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Matsukubo, who added to her earlier assist with a goal of her own. It was her fifth goal of the season, and proved to be the match winner for North Carolina.
Despite Angel City outshooting the Courage 17-10, North Carolina proved more clinical in key moments and carried its momentum into the summer break.
