San Diego Wave concedes late equalizer, drawing 1-1 against Portland Thorns

SAN DIEGO -- A first-half send-off and stoppage time conceded penalty for the San Diego Wave sees their Saturday night matchup with the Portland Thorns finish in a 1-1 stalemate as San Diego extends their unbeaten streak to four matches. 

The San Diego Wave’s second match of their two-match homestand hosted the Portland Thorns on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium as the Wave looked to continue their recent winning form. 

San Diego is coming off a 2-1 added-time late victory, as 17-year-old defender Trinity Armstrong found the back of the net off a header in the fifth minute of stoppage time to defeat Bay FC 2-1. 

Last Sunday’s victory pushed the Wave’s NWSL winning streak to three matches, hoping to extend it to four straight wins with a victory over the Portland Thorns.

The Wave started the matchday in the top half of the NWSL playoff positions, accumulating 13 points off four wins, two losses and one draw. 

As for the Portland Thorns, they were coming off a home victory last Saturday, defeating the Orlando Pride, one of the top sides in the NWSL, 1-0 at Providence Park, claiming their third win of the regular season.

The Wave found the back of the net within the first six minutes of the opening whistle, as from inside the penalty box, defender Perle Morroni, put a cross into the far post goal area with striker Kimmi Ascanio, lowering her body to scoop a header that bounced off crossbar and into the goal for the early 1-0 advantage.

17-year-old Kimmi Ascanio recorded her second goal of the NWSL regular season. 

Ascanio's goal against the Thorns marked San Diego’s fourth straight NWSL match with a teenage goalscorer, with the three goal scorers, Melanie Barcenas, Trinity Armstrong and Kimmi Ascanio, all of the age of 17. 

“We're very grateful to get the opportunity to showcase ourselves and to have a staff that trusts us out on the field,” Ascanio said on the output and opportunity of the young players in the squad.   

The Wave were hit with some adversity late in the first half, as Wave defender Kennedy Wesley received a straight red card in the 41-minute for her last defender challenge on Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie.

An over-the-top long ball into Portland’s attacking third for chasing Olivia Moultrie saw Kennedy Wesley foul and trip up Moultrie right outside the penalty, as it was deemed a red card offense due to the clear denying goal chance with no other Wave defenders near the play. 

Wave defender Kristen McNabb would be summoned off the bench to reinforce the backline for the remainder of the match, replacing forward María Sánchez in the 43-minute.

San Diego would have to finish the remaining moments of the first 45 minutes and the entire second half playing with a player short. 

The Thorns started the second half on the front foot, as their best chance on goal came in the 53-minute, with Thorns forward Deyna Castellanos' outside-the-box shot being denied by diving Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. 

In what looked to be a 1-0 survival victory for the Wave saw a turn of events in the fifth minute of added time, as Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey’s late dribble into the penalty box saw a late challenge and tripping by Wave defender Kristen McNabb, with referee Natalie Simon pointing to the spot. 

In the 98-minute, Thorns defender Jayden Perry stepped up and slotted the penalty into the left side of the goal, sending Kailen Sheridan the wrong way, equalizing the match at 1-1 with the referee blowing the full-time whistle moments later.

A defensive shift in the second half for San Diego as Wesley’s first-half sending off saw the Wave focus on their defensive shape, with most of their offense being generated from counterattacks and transition play.

Kailen Sheridan and her backline managed the circumstances well despite conceding a late penalty and goal, enduring 21 Portland shots with Sheridan having to make three saves in the match. 

Although being down a player for the majority of the match, San Diego’s ball-dominant play style didn’t take a hit, winning the possession battle 55%-45%. 

“I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Sheridan said. “I think we showed a lot of grit and resilience throughout the entire game. And ultimately, I think the result was out of our control.”

A memorable day for Kailen Sheridan, recording her 150th NWSL regular season appearance. 

San Diego finished the match collecting a single point from the 1-1 draw with Portland, extending their unbeaten streak to four matches from three victories and a tie.  

The Wave finished the night sitting in fourth place in the NWSL standings on 14 points, as their overall record reads four wins, two draws and two losses, with two wins, one draw and one loss for their Snapdragon Stadium record. 

With Wave head coach Jonas Eidevall off the touchline due to illness, assistant coach Becki Tweed spoke at the post-match press conference on the squad's toughness and grit in their draw against the Portland Thorns. 

“I think you take that grittiness and that desire and that fight till the end and you see after the final whistle, the disappointment from the players and from the staff,” Tweed said. “But again, that's just what we're building."

“We can be really proud of the other side of the team that we showed today,” Tweed said.

After hosting their last two NWSL matches, the San Diego Wave head to Harrison, New Jersey, next Friday to face off against Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena on May 16, kicking off at 4:30 p.m. The Wave looks to extend their unbeaten streak to five matches as well as remain in the top half of the NWSL playoff positions.