Wave head coach Jonas Eidevall walked off the pitch enraged after being shown a red card 10 minutes before his team suffered a 1-0 loss to Bay FC.
Eidevall didn’t agree with referee Ekaterina Koroleva when she stopped play in the 86th minute while the Wave were building up offensively as Bay FC left back Anouk Denton was down on the field.
As soon as Koroleva blew her whistle, Eidevall lost his cool, taking off his jacket and throwing it angrily in response to the decision. She was quick to show him the door.
As he exited the pitch, Eidevall was met with a standing ovation from Snapdragon Stadium.
When Denton got back to her feet, fans responded with loud boos that echoed throughout the stadium. For the remainder of the match, the crowd stayed vocal, cheering during Wave attacking build-ups and loudly jeering whenever a Bay FC player went down or a decision went against their team.
Assistant head coach Becki Tweed spoke after the match but didn’t comment on the incident involving Eidevall.
Ultimately, San Diego suffered its first back-to-back losses of the 2026 season. The Wave were defeated 2-0 midweek against Portland. The two losses dropped them from the top of the NWSL standings into a tie for second place with the Washington Spirit.
Tweed pointed to the challenge of playing three games in a week following the international break as a possible reason for the team’s fatigue, which she believed showed on Sunday night.
“Now we get an opportunity to go into a week where we do get some good, solid training sessions under our belt,” Tweed said. “So, that’s really important.”
The Wave were held scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time since September 2025. There was plenty of creativity, movement, and chances, but the Wave simply did not find the back of the net.
“I think these are things that you have to go through early in the season to experience and come out the other side,” Tweed said. “I think this is just another lesson for us in that space.”
The visitors capitalized on their best opportunity.
It took Bay FC just five minutes to take the lead. Midfielder Taylor Huff delivered a through-ball that Kennedy Wesley misjudged, allowing it to reach forward Racheal Kundananji. She remained patient, waited for Wave goalkeeper DiDi Haračić to commit, and then slotted the ball between her legs to give Bay FC a 1-0 lead.
In the 15th minute, the Wave began to build momentum when Ludmila received a pass in the box and was pushed from behind by Bay FC’s Aldana Cometti, earning a penalty. Midfielder Kenza Dali stepped up, but her shot hit the post, marking a missed opportunity.
“These things happen,” Tweed said. “She’s a pro. The team is all behind each other, and we know that we all play a part in results, wins or losses.”
Bay FC entered the match on a two-game losing streak but delivered when it mattered most. Their defense stayed compact and prevented Dudinha and Ludmila from impacting the game the way they had against previous opponents.
San Diego will need to rediscover its finishing touch with a rivalry match at Angel City coming next weekend.
“It’s definitely not something that we need to panic over,” Kennedy said. “We still know who we are, know that we can stick to our identity moving forward and find success next week in LA.”