Wave stun in SoCal as Armstrong scores at the death

San Diego Wave extended their winning streak to three matches after a 95th minute Trinity Armstrong header secured a 2-1 victory against Bay FC.

California bragging rights were on the line as Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall made one change from his side who beat Chicago Stars in the Midwest last weekend. The Swede replaced Melanie Barcenas for Maria Sanchez who returned to the starting XI. Bay boss Albertin Montoya named an unchanged team.

Armstrong’s 95th minute header rockets the Wave to third in the NWSL standings

It took just five minutes for the Wave’s momentum to shine through as Kennedy Wesley opened the scoring with her first of the season and her club’s 100th in the NWSL. The center half leaped highest as she latched onto an in-swinger and floated a cushioned header beyond a stunned Jordan Silkowitz as the ball glided into the bottom left corner.

The Wave were in the ascendancy from the off and almost had a second as Sanchez forced Silkowitz to outstretch a leg to deny a second goal at her near post.

In an end to end opening twenty minutes at Snapdragon, Bay FC came knocking and were rewarded as Rachael Kundanaji cut through the Wave defence and switched play across goal for Karlie Lema to slot home in the 18th minute.

An immediate reaction followed moments later as Wave’s Delphine Cascarino struck the woodwork with a rocket from 25 yards.

The big chance of the first half fell to Sanchez who failed to convert from the penalty spot for the Wave in the 25th minute. The forward confidently executed a well struck spot kick, but was denied by Silkowitz who met the ball at waist height and outstretched an arm to make a top-draw save in the bottom right corner.

Eidevall would have been the more pleased of the two head coaches as Hanna Lundkvist ran like she was angry at the ground and crossed into the mixer for Kimmi Ascanio to strike upwards onto the crossbar in the 44th minute.

An uneventful start to the second half was brought to life on the hour mark as Cascarino drove to the byline and looped the ball into the danger zone for Perle Morroni who fired over from close range.

A piece of brilliance from a hungry looking Cascarino in the 88th minute could have put the games to bed as the Frenchwoman weaved through the Bay defence and shifted onto her left foot from the byline. Once again, Silkowitz was there to push onto the woodwork for the third time inside 90 minutes.

If Trinity Armstrong hadn’t already cemented her place in Eidevall’s future plans, then tonight’s 95th minute winner would have done the trick. The 17-year-old defender looked as though she’d been playing for decades as she drifted into the six yard box and headed home her first Wave goal in a moment that fans will always remember and a move that shifts them up to third in the NWSL standings.