The San Diego Wave snuck into last year’s National Women’s Soccer League playoffs, locking up the No. 6 seed following a series of second-half struggles.
This year, the Wave aren’t coming through the back door. They’re kicking the front door down.
Gia Corley and Lia Godfrey both scored, and the visiting Wave beat the Orlando Pride 2-1 on Friday night to lock up a postseason spot with three regular-season matches remaining. The Wave controlled possession for 61% of the match, outshot the Pride 15-11 and had twice as many shots on goal (6) as Orlando (3).
Thanks to Godfrey, the Wave led almost from the start. Her goal in the fourth minute gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Corley tacked on in the 22nd minute, beating Cosette Morché of the Pride to make it 2-1. The Wave’s defense focused all week on stopping Orlando’s Barbra Banda; she delivered a penalty-kick goal in the 52nd minute, her 17th of the year, to halve San Diego’s lead. But Banda and Orlando were unable to even down the stretch.
Following an international break, they Wave (16-8-3) travel to the North Carolina Courage on Oct. 17, host the Boston Legacy on Oct. 25 and travel to Bay FC for the Nov. 2 regular-season finale. Orlando falls to 10-14-3, well out of playoff contention.