Five thoughts on the Wave ahead of Wednesday’s 4 p.m. match versus NJ/NY Gotham, the defending champion of the National Women’s Soccer League, in Harrison, N.J.:
Two to watch
The Wave got good performances from veterans Danielle Colaprico and María Sánchez in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with the Washington Spirit.
Colaprico completed 23 of 27 passes in the first half, a reason why the Wave led 1-0 at halftime. The defensive midfielder launched breakouts and supported attacks. Spirit players said the Wave’s wider shape confused them, and Colaprico took advantage.
“Once we got Dani on the ball, dictating the game, the game changed,” Wave coach Casey Stoney said. “We can do that a lot quicker and a lot sooner and hurt teams.”
Sánchez’s niftiness led to the Wave’s only goal for the second straight match. The left wing, acquired last month in a trade with the Houston Dash, is showing more confidence with the ball.
Morgan’s comeback
Alex Morgan was more herself Saturday in her comeback from an ankle injury. She played 85 minutes, her longest outing by far since she went down April 19 at Orlando.
Morgan’s run to the post sprang Jaedyn Shaw for the teen’s goal — her third — off Sánchez’s crossing pass.
“She stretched well, getting in behind a couple times really effectively,” Stoney said.
Morgan had a chance to add to the 1-0 lead, but her shot went wide. She’s scoreless through her seven matches and 494 minutes this season after netting 22 goals over the prior two seasons.
“She’ll be disappointed she didn’t hit the target with the chance she had,” Stoney said. “Her being on the field in certain moments is dangerous and allows other people to get into position. I know she’ll be frustrated. I understand. She’s a goal scorer. There’s probably no one feeling this more than her.”
Fitness test
The Wave will be playing on three days’ rest, about half what’s normal.
Saturday’s match was strenuous. Countering Spirit star Trinity Rodman took several players. The 22-year-old wing’s relentless performance was true to the high work rate of her father, Dennis Rodman, a Hall of Fame basketball player.
The Wave wore down, Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury said, after a match that saw Washington’s improbable 60-yard counterattack in the last minute deny the Wave the win.
“San Diego was very organized, they were a great opponent, put in a great shift,” Kingsbury said. “But, toward the end, you could tell they were tired.”
It was 84 degrees at kickoff.
“Obviously, the heat does play a factor,” Stoney said that night. “But, we’ve been here for two days. I just think we didn’t come out of the blocks quick enough. It took the goal to get us going.”
Memorable night
Though the ending was bad for the Wave, the entertaining match was good for the NWSL, coming as it did before the largest crowd to ever watch the 13-year-old Spirit at home.
“Sometimes, you don’t get the win,” said the Spirit’s Croix Bethune, “but the way you play is enough for the crowd to enjoy the game of soccer.”
Rodman and Morgan, whom the Spirit featured in promotions leading up to the match, were fully engaged.
The crowd saw a fine goal produced by the tandem of Shaw, a 19-year-old riser with the U.S. Women’s National Team, and Sánchez, a member of Mexico’s team.
Featured in the Spirit’s campaign to “celebrate Black D.C. Culture,” Bethune rewarded the crowd with a world-class finish in the final minute, off a deflection of teammate Casey Krueger’s astute long pass.
The fans’ roars increased when Bethune celebrated with a running, double-knee slide and mimed a dice roll at the craps table.
WHAT CAN’T SHE DO, SHE’S CROIX BETHUNE ‼️
Congratulations to Croix Bethune for winning the Week 12 Goal of the Week with this last-minute, game-tying stunner! pic.twitter.com/cIyq1m3Qb7
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 18, 2024
“Because you shoot dice, 7, 11 is gonna hit every time, so you wanna hit 7 when you roll,” said the 5-foot-3 midfielder, who has five goals and a league-best seven assists in 13 matches.
The NWSL knew creating a niche in Greater D.C. would be difficult. Several sports franchises have deep roots in the region. If the match had been a dud before the announced record crowd of 19,987 at the soccer-specific stadium,it would’ve been an opportunity lost.
“It’s us and 19,000 of our closest friends, and we really want them to feel the joy we have when we play with each other,” Kingsbury said. The goalkeeper said the enthusiasm recalled the vibe of home crowds prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s been a long time coming, so for us to remember what a sold-out (stadium) — or close to it — feels like, to get that feeling back was incredible,” she said, “and I hope it stays for the rest of the season.”
Unbeaten
The Wave are 4-0-1 versus Gotham in the regular season, the 1-1 tie coming last month. Also, the Wave won March 15 at Gotham, 1-0, in the NWSL’s featured preseason match. The goal, by Morgan, came in the 89th minute.
Ninth-place San Diego is winless in six road matches.
Fourth-place Gotham, led by its defense, is unbeaten in its last eight matches, having rallied from a poor start and a season-ending injury to 2023 Finals MVP Midge Purce.
