San Diego Wave FC kicked off its NWSL regular-season campaign with a thrilling 1-0 win over the Houston Dash.
The clubs played in front of 7,722 fans at PNC Stadium on Sunday, the fourth-largest crowd in Dash history.
Despite the home advantage, Houston failed to break through, with Wave keeper Kailen Sheridan notching two saves for the clean sheet.
On the other side of the ball, San Diego finally snapped the scoreless deadlock in the 86th minute, with Jodie Taylor one-timing a shot off a Katie Johnson header for the game’s lone goal.
Jodie Taylor puts it away late in the game for the Wave's first regular season goal! 💫💫@SanDiegoWaveFC | #WaveFC pic.twitter.com/WNCus6z1BX— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 2, 2022
Jodie Taylor puts it away late in the game for the Wave's first regular season goal! 💫💫@SanDiegoWaveFC | #WaveFC pic.twitter.com/WNCus6z1BX
Six San Diego players earned their NWSL regular-season debuts in the 1-0 win, with Naomi Girma, Kelsey Turnbow, Belle Briede, Mia Gyau, Marleen Schimmer and Amirah Ali all playing in their first regular-season contest.
The Wave will next host Gotham FC in San Diego on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.