March 24, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – San Diego Wave FC News Release
San Diego Wave FC opens its second season on Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m. PT, hosting the Chicago Red Stars. The club is set to kick off its first full campaign at Snapdragon Stadium with the home opener marking a rematch following the NWSL Quarterfinals on Oct. 16, 2022.
Drama will be high on Saturday as former Chicago Red Stars Danny Colaprico and Rachel Hill face their former team after signing this offseason as free agents with the Wave. After a grueling postseason match where San Diego took down Chicago 2-1 in extra time for a spot in the Semi-Finals, this marks the first time Colaprico and Hill will face their former team. The Wave’s third offseason free-agent signing, Meggie Dougherty Howard, brings over 100 NWSL appearances and a veteran leadership mentality to the club.
Including the playoffs, San Diego defeated Chicago three times in NWSL play last season and are led by 2022 Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan (15 goals). Makenzy Doniak, Taylor Kornieck and Jaedyn Shaw each scored three goals for the club in 2022, while forward Amirah Ali recently scored a brace in the Wave’s preseason match against Angel City FC on Mar. 18, 2023.
Looking at the opposition, Chicago conceded 28 goals over 22 games last season, the team’s second-worst goals against average in a season. Mallory Swanson (formerly Pugh) scored 11 goals and provided six assists last season, tied for the league lead in assists, while her 17 goal contributions tied for the league lead with Morgan and Sophia Smith.
The match will be available for streaming on CBS Sports Network for domestic viewers, and single-game tickets for the match can be found here. The Wave previously announced that the club already broke the NWSL Home Opener record in attendance with over 28,000 tickets distributed as of Friday.
The home opener event will launch with a Fan Fest outside Snapdragon Stadium starting at 4:30 p.m. PT. The first 5,000 fans into the gate will receive a limited-edition schedule magnet.
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