After taking a monthlong break that coincided with the opening rounds of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, it was a very happy return for the San Diego Wave FC.
In a match that could be considered a measuring stick for the team, San Diego dominated the reigning NWSL champion Gotham FC en route to a 2-0 victory to resume its’ season before a crowd of 10,592 at Snapdragon Stadium.
During the Fourth of July game, only the home team managed to generate any fireworks on offense. Forward Melanie Barcenas scored during the 45th minute, with reserve forward Trinity Byars adding to the lead during stoppage time as San Diego (9-4, with one draw) managed to increase its lead at the top of the league standings.
Gotham, meanwhile, fell to 6-3-3. Although the team won the 2025 league championship, the New Yorkers have not looked as powerful as they did last season; they came into Saturday’s match in sixth place in the table.
The Wave, on the other hand, have been one of the league’s top teams nearly all season. San Diego now leads the NWSL with 28 points, four more than the four clubs tied for second place.
Gotham had actually played its first game back from the monthlong break last week; on June 26, they defeated the Kansas City Current — who won the 2025 NWSL Shield for having the best regular-season record last year — to capture the league’s Challenge Cup title.
At Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, the visitors held ball possession longer in the first half against the Wave but found it impossible to score; both of Gotham’s shots on goal were swatted down or batted away by debuting goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo, who joined San Diego on a three-year contract in June from Deportivo Cali in her native Colombia.
During the 45th minute, seconds before the end of the first half, Barcenas opened the scoring by finding the back of the net with a left-footed shot, her third goal of the season, giving San Diego a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the teams reached three minutes into stoppage time when Byars nailed a right-footed shot for her fourth goal of the season, sealing the 2-0 victory. The Wave has now scored seven goals in the final 15 minutes of the second half this season, the most of any club in the NWSL.
After the game, Barcenas, a San Diego native who will turn 19 in October, said the victory was meaningful to her on a personal level.
“[Winning] at home is always super special to me. Everyone knows I have a very special connection to this community, to this club and fans, being from San Diego,” Barcenas said in the post-match media conference. “It felt really amazing to help my team and put us on the board.”
Despite being at the head of the NWSL table, San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall said that the team won’t start thinking about its place in the standings or about the playoffs, which begin in early November.
“Let’s not get carried away,” he told Times of San Diego. “We’ve played some great football, we fight great as a team, but it’s one game at a time and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”
Saturday’s game was the team’s first without star forward Dudinha, who was placed on the season-ending injury list on July 3 due to an ACL and meniscus injury that she sustained during a friendly match between her Brazilian national team and the U.S. Women’s National Team on June 9.
In response to the injury, San Diego has signed midfielder Tatum Wynalda to a second short-term injury replacement contract through the remainder of the season. Wynalda, who had previously played on a short-term deal during the first two months of the season, entered the match as a substitute during the 61st minute, mainly for defensive purposes.
Notes: Up next, the Wave’s homestand continues as it faces rivals Angel City FC on July 11 at Snapdragon Stadium. The clubs last played each other May 9, with San Diego winning 2-1 in Los Angeles. Angel City (5-6-1) started the season with its first-ever three-game win streak, but has since faltered. The team fired head coach Alexander Straus after winning only one match in eight tries after that 3-0 start.
With interim head coach Leif Gunnar Smerud at the helm, Angel City opened the second half of the season on Friday by winning 2-0 at home against the Orlando Pride.
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