{"id":508346,"date":"2026-10-26T12:12:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/508346\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T12:12:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T12:12:12","slug":"san-diego-wave-keep-nwsl-shield-hopes-alive-with-draw-against-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/508346\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego Wave keep NWSL Shield hopes alive with draw against Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN DIEGO \u2014 Boston Legacy FC snapped San Diego Wave FC\u2019s five-game winning streak with a stunning 73rd-minute equalizer, resulting in a 2-2 draw at Snapdragon Stadium. The Wave remain in contention for the NWSL Shield heading into Decision Day.<\/p>\n

San Diego (17-4-8, 55 points) must defeat Bay FC next Sunday, Nov. 1, while Gotham FC (17-7-5, 58 points) must lose to the Utah Royals to finish tied on points. The tiebreaker would then be goal differential.<\/p>\n

After a scoreless first half, Boston\u2019s Annie Karich opened the scoring in the 48th minute. San Diego responded with two goals in three minutes: Gia Corley equalized before an own goal by La\u00eds Ara\u00fajo gave the Wave a 2-1 lead. Alba Ca\u00f1o then leveled the match with a rocket from outside the box.<\/p>\n

Boston, which has struggled in its inaugural season, entered Sunday\u2019s match with no playoff hopes after being eliminated from contention last month. The Legacy were looking to build momentum heading into next season after winning their previous two matches. Meanwhile, the second-place Wave were pursuing their second NWSL Shield in five seasons.<\/p>\n

Wave rookie midfielder Lia Godfrey scored in the 35th minute, but her goal was disallowed after a VAR review determined she was narrowly offside, keeping the match scoreless.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

Miguel Mota – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n

San Diego Wave FC midfielder Lia Godfrey fights for the ball against Boston Legacy midfielder B\u00e1rbara Olivieri during an NWSL soccer game, Sunday, October 25, 2026 in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n

Jonas Eidevall\u2019s squad controlled much of the opening 45 minutes, holding 61% possession and recording two more shots than the Legacy at halftime. Boston\u2019s defense held firm, but the Legacy capitalized on an opportunity three minutes into the second half.<\/p>\n

After a short corner, Sarah Schupansky sent a cross into a crowded penalty area that deflected off Sandra Pa\u00f1os\u2019 glove. Karich was positioned near the left post and finished from point-blank range to give Boston the lead. It was her first goal of the season.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for San Diego to respond.<\/p>\n

On a fast break, Wave forward Melanie Barcenas carried the ball into the attacking third before finding Corley as she entered the left side of the box. Corley took one touch before sending a low shot underneath a defender and past a diving goalkeeper. The ball struck the bottom-right post and went in, tying the match in the 51st minute.<\/p>\n

It was Corley\u2019s fourth goal of the season and her fifth goal contribution in the past six matches. The attacking midfielder has continued to deliver for San Diego during its late-season push. Barcenas now has nine goal contributions in 2026, with seven goals and two assists.<\/p>\n

Gia Corley with the precise finish to pull one back for San Diego \ud83d\udc4f https:\/\/t.co\/GMqf68VYhR<\/p>\n

\u2014 National Women\u2019s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Wave took the lead three minutes later.<\/p>\n

San Diego veteran midfielder Kenza Dali sent a pass across the box toward Trinity Byars. Ara\u00fajo\u2019s attempt to deny the ball was unsuccessful, and it deflected into her own net, giving the Wave a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

Miguel Mota – The Sporting Tribune<\/p>\n

San Diego Wave FC forward Trinity Byars (15) celebrates her goal with teammates during an NWSL soccer game against Boston Legacy, Sunday, October 25, 2026 in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n

Had the score held, San Diego would have finished the weekend tied with Gotham on points. But Boston had other plans.<\/p>\n

Ca\u00f1o unleashed a long-range strike that found the top-right corner to level the match\u2014a jaw-dropping goal. Pa\u00f1os had little chance to react as the shot flew past her. This was Ca\u00f1o\u2019s fifth goal of the season. Legacy midfielder Aleigh Gambone was credited with the assist.<\/p>\n

Alba Ca\u00f1o with a ROCKET to pull Boston level \ud83d\ude80 https:\/\/t.co\/Pp2OpAqkMj<\/p>\n

\u2014 National Women\u2019s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

San Diego will travel to San Jose next Sunday for a must-win match against Bay FC at PayPal Park, with a chance to claim the NWSL Shield. Bay FC sits near the bottom of the standings with 27 points and has gone winless in its last four matches. Karlie Lema, the 23-year-old forward, leads her team with eight goals this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN DIEGO \u2014 Boston Legacy FC snapped San Diego Wave FC\u2019s five-game winning streak with a stunning 73rd-minute…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[196105,159016,126543,159015,107094,107095,100,8858,74,76,75,9676,159014,1083,140370,11388],"class_list":["post-508346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-boston-legacy-fc","tag-gia-corley","tag-kenza-dali","tag-kimmi-ascanio","tag-lia-godfrey","tag-melanie-barcenas","tag-news","tag-nwsl","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-wave-fc","tag-sandra-panos","tag-soccer","tag-trinity-byars","tag-tst-san-diego"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}