A third of the way through the NWSL regular season, the San Diego Wave sits in eighth place, in the middle of a tight midfield pack. Injuries to key players have hindered the reigning League Shield winners, evoking superlative effort from some unexpected faces.
The Wave has leaned on Makenzy Doniak up front after losing Alex Morgan to a rolled ankle injury in mid-April. The former Chicago Red Star forward has been the source of two of the best goals of the season for the team, the first of which came in its April 27 match against NWSL newcomer Bay FC. The sequence saw her take on two defenders before cracking a shot from the top of the 18-yard box into the top left corner of the net.
Aiding Doniak in the final third is teenage phenom Jaedyn Shaw, who has netted two goals in eight matches. The two linked up for a counter-attacking masterclass against the Utah Royals on May 8. Shaw stole a pass in the middle of the pitch and threaded a through ball on her next touch which Doniak let run past her and into the penalty area before slicing a cross-goal shot into the bottom right corner.
A late-game entanglement during the closing minutes of San Diego’s 1-1 draw against Gotham FC on May 12 ushered Shaw onto the hefty injured list, making way for one of the NWSL’s most exciting prospects in María Sanchez. The Mexico national team stalwart signed a record-breaking $1.5 million contract with the Houston Dash in December. However, after just four underwhelming matches, she requested a trade.
So far, Sanchez still looks to be getting situated with her new team. She has made a limited impact during her limited minutes, which will likely increase as Shaw and Morgan continue to rehab.
San Diego’s defense is holding on by a string, specifically goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. Apart from USWNT regulars Naomi Girma and Abby Dahlkemper — the former being U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year — Sheridan is the sole constant in the back. The Canadian goalkeeper has been on the wrong side of a few too many pivotal one-on-ones but has managed to bail out her team each time.
Sheridan shined against reigning league champions Gotham FC. After conceding a point-blank shot despite three defenders surrounding goalscorer Jenna Nighswonger, Sheridan went on to make an unbelievable reaching save, deflecting an air-bound bullet onto the crossbar, as well as a one-on-one block.
The Wave has looked to the likes of Sierra Enge and 2024 draftee Kennedy Wesley to fulfill backline duties. While the defense is slowly meshing, the team’s podium status in goals against (7) and clean sheets (3) is largely thanks to Sheridan.
Despite the Wave maintaining a fair enough position while they wait for their stars to return, cracks have begun to show, chiefly in their 2-1 loss to the Seattle Reign. After going down to 10 women in the ninth minute, the Wave successfully converted on the ensuing free-kick. However, the Reign — on a five-game winless streak at this point and devoid of a star player with the retirement of Megan Rapinoe — kept the game competitive.
A Sheridan mishap, perhaps retributive justice for an unjustified red card that San Diego capitalized on, proved enough to level the score. While Seattle never held a downright momentum, the game eventually teetered in its favor in the 89th minute to swipe the win away from San Diego.
The Wave’s 3-3-2 record encompasses their season thus far: nothing to worry about just yet. Luckily, the team can look forward to getting back to full capacity, hopefully before the season’s trajectory solidifies.
