SAN DIEGO — Trinity Byars and Kimmi Ascanio's goals give San Diego Wave FC a statement win over a streaking Washington Spirit squad at Snapdragon Stadium. Byars scored early in her first start, and Ascanio delivered the game-winning header in the 89th minute.
San Diego and Washington entered Friday Night as the top two teams in the league—and the match lived up to expectations. Byars, who overcame adversity to reach this point, scored her first goal in the 6th minute, but the Spirit knotted the game before the break. Ascanio scored inside a crowded box in the final moments.
The Sporting Tribune asked Wave head coach Jonas Eidevall postgame if this was a statement win for the club, and he said the NWSL is a league in which “you can’t get carried away.” He also added that the team must stay humble, grounded, continue working hard, and focus on the next match.
San Diego is coming off a 2-1 road win in Los Angeles against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium. Dudinha’s two-goal contributions decided the outcome—she scored in the 49th minute, then crossed a ball in the box that found a sprinting Mimi Van Zanten. The rookie defender's first-ever goal was a game-winner in the 81st minute. Before their win over Angel City, the Wave dropped back-to-back games against Portland Thorns and Bay FC.
Byars made her first professional start tonight alongside Gabi Portilho and Dudinha. Ludmila, a veteran striker who has started every game this season, began the game on the bench. Kenza Dali, Ascanio, and Gia Corley anchored the midfield. Eidevall continues to roll out the strong backline of Kennedy Wesley, Kristen McNabb, Van Zanten, and Perle Morroni with DiDi Haracic in goal.
ESPN recently released a list of the Top 25 NWSL players this season. The list featured four Wave players (rank): Dudinha (No. 2), Dali (No. 4), Wesley (No. 11), and Godfrey (No. 18). The Spirit also had four players: forward Rosemonde Kouassi (No. 3), midfielder Leicy Santos (No. 8), forward Trinity Rodman (No. 12), and defender Esme Morgan (No. 20).
Washington has been on a roll since losing their season opener to Portland—they have not lost since, and is riding an eight-game unbeaten streak. The Spirit have won five in a row, defeating Bay FC, Kansas City, Louisville, Orlando, and Seattle.
Rodman leads the team with six goal contributions (three goals and three assists). Santos, Claudia Martínez, and Sofia Cantore also have three goals this season. Martínez, 18, has emerged onto the scene in her rookie season.
The Washington Spirit looked to continue its hot streak, and San Diego looked to protect its home turf. It didn’t take long before the first goal was scored in the match.
Byars made an impact right from the start. The moment she had been waiting for finally arrived. She suffered an ACL injury as a member of the University of Texas soccer team—fast forward 621 days, and she is back to making plays.
“Every journey is individual, and she has been working so hard,” Eidevall said when The Sporting Tribune asked about Byars' injury. “It's also full credit to our performance and medical team together for bringing her to this point.”
Just six minutes into her first start for San Diego, Byars scored a stunning goal that found the top right corner of the net. Despite facing four defenders and a goalkeeper inside the box, her shot sailed past them—the big smile on her face after the goal says it all.
“She's a phenomenal finisher, one of the best finishers that I've seen in the game,” Eidevall said, speaking highly of the young forward. “When she gets opportunities, she will score a lot of goals, and I think the goal she scored today was a good example of that.”
It appears that the team has taken the cautious approach with Byars, who has appeared in four matches this season, logging just 74 minutes. If she continues this strong play, Eidevall will have so many talented forwards at his disposal.
Byars scored 52 goals for the Longhorns and had five hat tricks in college. She was also named Big 12 Forward of the Year in 2023 and the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. She’ll look to continue that goal-scoring success with the Wave now that she’s fully healthy.
Washington found the equalizer in the 33rd minute. There was a delay in the match because Portilho was down on the pitch with an injury. Washington’s physicality was evident all night. When the Spirit lined up for their corner kick, she had to wait on the sideline for a moment—and that’s when they scored.
“We know in this league it’s impossible to be successful if you can’t handle the physical side of the game,” Eidevall said when asked about the opposition's aggressiveness. “This sport will always exist of three components: it will be a running sport, it will be a duel sport, and it will be a ball sport.”
“We don't want to be this nice team that just plays nice football, and players or teams come here and think that we're soft; I hate that,” Dali said when asked about the physicality. “Every time we play like a team, like Washington with a lot of personality, I ask the team to be brave.”
Santos crossed the ball into the crowded box. Rebeca Bernal elevated and scored via a header. Haracic did not have enough time to react before the ball bounced past the posts.
The match was tied 1-1 at the break. Washington held the ball 59% of the time, but the other statistics were similar—a close battle between two strong clubs.
In search of the go-ahead goal, Eidevall inserted extra firepower, bringing on Ludmila, Melanie Barcenas, and Godfrey for Byars, Portilho, and Corley.
After the game, the coach talked about having several attacking options, and the players who come off the bench in these situations are just as important as the starters. Fresh legs in the lineup are always an advantage.
In the 76th minute, Spirit’s goalkeeper Sandy MacIver made an impressive point-blank save, rejecting Van Zanten’s shot attempt. That ball rolled back into the Wave’s possession. Barcenas scored, but was called offside.
Just before the end of the regulation, Ascanio called game in San Diego.
On a corner set piece, Dali crossed the ball inside a tight box. MacIver’s punch attempt to clear the ball was out of reach, and the ball fell on Ascanio’s head and into the net in the final minute of regulation.
“Set pieces are a huge part of the game, and at training we've been practicing the delivery and the finishing,” Ascanio said about her game-winning header. “Kenza (Dali) put a good ball there, and I was just lucky enough to be at the end of it.”
Ascanio and Dali have been practicing Cristiano Ronaldo's ‘siu’ celebration, and that’s exactly what they did after the jubilating late goal. This was Ascanio’s fifth career goal. The 18-year-old midfielder earned some extra points for her squad.
With the impressive win, San Diego now sits at the top of the NWSL standings with 21 points and a 7-3-0 record—they’re legit. Meanwhile, Washington remains in the top three with 18 points.
San Diego will have a mid-week match against the Houston Dash on Wednesday, May 20, at Shell Energy Stadium. This will be the second meeting between these teams. Houston won the season opener thanks to a goal by former Wave FC forward Makenzy Robbe just before halftime.
