San Diego Wave end winning streak with 2-0 loss against Portland Thorns

Laurina Fazer dribbles the ball in San Diego Wave’s 2-0 loss on the road against the Portland Thorns. (Photo Credit: San Diego Wave FC)

San Diego Wave lost their second match of the 2026 season and ended their five-match winning streak with a 2-0 loss against the Portland Thorns. 

“If we look at the game overall, we’re creating more chances than they did,” Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall said. “I think it’s a matter of efficiency, they score two goals on very little created, and we score zero goals on quite a bit created.”

“When it’s like that then of course you can’t win games, but if we take that aside, it’s good for us coming here to create considerably more than they do, and on another day we would be comfortable walking away here with a different result.”

The match between the two teams at the top of the table began with both sides attempting to feel each other out when Portland drew first blood in the 10th minute of the match with a quick goal that caught San Diego on the back foot. 

Thorns players were pressing high while Sophia Wilson kept possession of the ball in the midfield allowing her fellow attackers to move up the pitch. Wilson laid the ball off to the midfielders who eventually played the ball up to Marie Muller. The left winger was open and drove the ball just into the penalty area, then sent in a strong shot that got past Wave goalkeeper Leah Freeman to make it 1-0.

The Thorns kept the Wave from creating many great scoring opportunities the rest of the first half holding them to only two shots, but the score was still only 1-0 with a half to play.  The Wave had plenty of opportunities with the second half ahead of them and had just proven an ability to mount a comeback earning a three-goal comeback in their last match. 

The Wave dominated possession in the second half, unleashed eight shots, and totalled an expected goal of 0.99, however the home side was organized well on the defensive end and stayed compact forcing the Wave to move through small spaces, and be perfect on the finishing end. 

Portland eventually extended their lead in the 64th minute thanks to their defensive pressure. The Thorns front line was up high forcing Kennedy Wesley to make a pass into the midfield for Laurina Fazer. The French midfielder was open, but Portland captain Jessie Flemming was waiting and rushed Fazer just as she got the ball forcing a turnover. 

Marie-Yasmine Alidou got the ball and sent a pass forward to Sophia Wilson who moved the ball up easily past the Wave defense and shot the ball low and to the right of Freeman to make it the final score of 2-0. 

The Wave play once again this week, this time at home on Sunday May 3, against Northern-California rival, Bay FC, who are 12th in the NWSL standings with a 2W-3L record through five matches.