NWSL: Angel City earn 2-1 comeback win in rivalry match against San Dieg Wave

Paige Nielsen and M.A. Vignola scored to rally Angel City to a 2-1 win against the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday.

The win marked Angel City’s first match since former head coach Freya Coombe was fired on Thursday after a rocky start that put the team in 11th place at the midway point of the season. Assistant coach Becki Tweed took over and will serve as the interim head coach until a permanent replacement is selected.

Kristen McNabb opened the scoring for the Wave in the 57th minute, running onto a pass from Alex Morgan at the top of the box and blasting a shot through the legs of defender Ali Riley and into the right corner.

It was San Diego’s fifth goal from outside the box, most in the NWSL.

Nielsen tied it in the 70th, bringing down a corner kick at the far post and squeezing her shot into the near-post corner.

In the 89th minute, Angel City (3-6-3) found its game-winning goal. Scarlett Camberos pounced on a poor touch from the Wave and passed to Vignola, who finished from close range. All three goals were scored by defenders.

Angel City became the first team this season to win a match when trailing in the 65th minute.

San Diego, who entered the weekend at the top of the league standings, moved to 6-4-2.

 

 

 

 

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COURAGE 3, PRIDE 0

Brazilian Kerolin scored her league-leading eighth goal and North Carolina shut out visiting Orlando.

The Courage put the pressure on early, but Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse made two crucial stops, coming out to poke the ball away from Kerolin on a breakaway in the 7th minute and getting big to stop Tess Boade’s shot five minutes later.

Playing in front of the home crowd at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, the Courage found their breakthrough in the 32nd minute, as Kerolin placed a back pass from Boade into the right corner.

Boade thought she got a second goal for the Courage in the 63rd, but it was called back for offside.

In the 78th minute, Meredith Speck doubled the lead, taking a touch around her defender before sliding a shot under Moorhouse.

Kerolin forced a Pride (4-7-1) own goal in the 83rd to put the home team up 3-0.

The Courage (6-4-2) now have a league-best six shutouts this season.

DASH 0, REIGN 0

The Houston Dash went down a player for 45 minutes in a brutally hot and humid match, but held on at home for a scoreless draw against OL Reign.

With the heat index near 110 degrees (43 Celsius) at kickoff, both teams had limited chances in a slower first half. Jordyn Huitema’s shot on a breakaway went wide for the Reign, while a free kick from María Sánchez was pushed away by goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Just before halftime, Houston’s Natalie Jacobs was given a red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity when she fouled Tziarra King.

Even with the extra player, the Reign couldn’t beat the heat and finished with just eight shots and only one shot on goal.

Houston (4-3-5) had the better opportunities in the second half, forcing a goal-line clearance from Ryanne Brown and five saves from Tullis-Joyce.

The Reign (6-4-2) were without three starters due to injuries, including midfielder Jess Fishlock and U.S. women’s national team players Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe. Lavelle hasn’t played since April 1, while Rapinoe injured her calf in the third minute last week. Both players are expected to recover soon, with national team training camps beginning on June 26 ahead of the Women’s World Cup next month in Australia and New Zealand.