The San Diego Wave secured a big 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit off the head of Kimmi Ascanio late in Friday night’s match at Snapdragon Stadium.
In the 89th minute, the Wave earned a corner kick taken by Kenza Dali, who sent the ball into the box. Ascanio rose up and headed it past Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver to secure the late victory.
Ascanio ran over to Dali, and the two did the famous joint “Siuuuuu” celebration that Real Madrid legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo did for years.
The win snapped the Spirit’s five-game winning streak and gave San Diego a much-needed three points.
Ascanio’s first goal of the season came at a crucial time, but it wasn’t the only big moment of the night for the Wave.
Friday night marked Trinity Byars’ first NWSL start for the Wave, and it took her only six minutes to make it memorable.
In the sixth minute, Ascanio and Dali helped San Diego build out of its own half before pushing upfield. Ascanio found Byars, who carried the ball forward before playing it back to a trailing Ascanio. A Washington defender stepped in and deflected the ball back toward Byars, who let it rip from the top of the box.
Her shot curled past the outstretched hands of MacIver, giving the Wave a 1-0 lead.
It was Byars’ first goal 621 days after tearing her ACL in college, and she was quickly mobbed by her teammates on the pitch as they celebrated the moment.
In the 33rd minute, the Spirit found the equalizer off a corner kick when defensive midfielder Rebeca Bernal headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
The captain of Mexico’s women’s national team showed excellent movement before the corner was delivered. Bernal initially positioned herself in a crowded group of players inside the box before separating at the perfect moment, allowing her to get free for the header and level the match.
Coming out of halftime, Eidevall made three changes, substituting Byars, Gia Corley and Gabi Portilho for Ludmila, Melanie Barcenas and Lia Godfrey.
The changes shifted the energy of the game and made the Wave offense more dangerous, which ultimately helped power San Diego to its second win in a row.
Friday night’s victory catapulted San Diego into first place in the NWSL with 21 points. Portland sits in second place with 19 points and will play Angel City on Sunday afternoon.
The Wave will travel to Houston on Wednesday to face the Dash, the same team that handed San Diego a 1-0 loss in the season opener.