There was plenty of disappointment on the faces of the San Diego Wave after Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride.
And understandably so. The Wave controlled possession for 58% of the time during the match at Snapdragon Stadium, recorded more shots on goal and, despite that, were held scoreless for only the third time this season.
“I’m definitely proud about how the team is carrying through the whole game with a lot of energy, with a never-giving-up mentality,” Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said. “We keep on pushing to the end to get a result, and unfortunately, it wasn’t our day to do that, but the effort was really good from the players.”
Eidevall knew firsthand how difficult Sunday’s matchup would be. He previously coached two Pride players — defender Rafaelle at Arsenal and right back Hailie Mace at FC Rosengård in Sweden.
“They are obviously two world-class defenders, and they have a very solid team, and they work very hard together,” Eidevall said.
The Wave (7-4-1) came close to scoring in Sunday’s 33rd minute. Ludmila sent a pass to a charging Gia Corley, who delivered a ball into the box that Orlando goalkeeper Anana Moorhouse got a hand on. Midfielder Lia Godfrey crashed in for the rebound, but Moorhouse was there to make the save.
In the first half’s stoppage time, Kenza Dali made a strong run up the left side with Dudinha to her left and Corley on the right before deciding to play it to Corley. She fired a shot from outside the box that went straight into Moorhouse’s hands.
“I think we created chances, but we just need to be able to put them in the back of the net,” the Wave’s Kristen McNabb said. “We don’t want to drop points at home, especially when we think the performance is there. So, disappointed overall.”
The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello, right, and Haley McCutcheon celebrate the Pride’s 1-0 victory over the Wave at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Orlando (4-5-2) quickly went back on the attack, moving the ball upfield off a pass from Luana. The ball fell to Nicole Payne after two Wave players collided. Payne fired a shot from outside the box and curled it past DiDi Haračić for the first goal of the match and the first of her career, giving Orlando a 1-0 lead just before the break.
The Wave controlled possession and moved the ball well throughout the second half, but they struggled to create truly dangerous opportunities until late in the match.
In the 87th minute, the Wave controlled possession before McNabb sent a ball into the box that Gabi Portilho headed toward the left side of the goal, but Moorhouse managed to get her fingertips on it. The save pushed the ball out of bounds, and her teammates immediately ran over to celebrate the stop with her.
The Wave fired four shots over the final seven minutes of stoppage time, but a Pride player either blocked or deflected each attempt, preventing Moorhouse from facing any real danger.
San Diego has gone back-to-back matches without a victory after drawing with the Houston Dash midweek and now suffering a loss at home.
“We can’t let two games where we dropped points change our overall trajectory in the way we play,” McNabb said. “We know when we put all the pieces together, we’re an amazing team, and we’re dangerous when we win games, so we just need to stick to the plan.”
The Wave have only one remaining match before the National Women’s Soccer League’s international break: they’ll travel to face the Chicago Stars next Sunday.