Washington Spirit winning run ends as San Diego Wave claim dramatic 2-1 result: Match report
The Spirit's five-game winning streak came to an end in San Diego as the Wave claimed a late, late winner.
SAN DIEGO – The Washington Spirit, on the back of a five-game winning run, faced another major NWSL contender on Friday, but couldn't set a new club record streak of victories as they fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave.
Trinity Byars' early goal gave the hosts the lead, and while Rebeca Bernal produced a first-half equalizer, Kimmi Ascanio's 89th-minute header gave the Wave a match-winner in a battle between two of the league's best.
With a win or a draw, the Spirit could have moved at least temporarily atop the NWSL standings, but a defeat at Snapdragon Stadium opens the door to falling as far as fifth in the NWSL standings.
Both teams created a big chance seemingly from nowhere in the early going, but only San Diego's ended in a goal. A 4th-minute cross from Trinity Rodman ended up floating over DiDi Haracic only to clip the post and bounce away without a finish.
At the other end, a Wave attack in transition seemed to have met its end when Gabby Carle won the ball off Kimmi Ascanio just inside the box. However, the rebound from that tackle went right to Byars, and with no one stepping to close the U.S. youth international, Byars made no mistake in scoring the earliest goal a team has managed against the Spirit in 2026.
Against a formidable defensive side like San Diego, a negative game state was the last thing Washington would have wanted. Despite having some positive moments moving through the midfield, chances were few and far between save for a 30th-minute Hal Hershfelt header that worried Haracic.
However, the Spirit still found a way to an equalizer, breaking through via a 33rd-minute corner kick. Rebeca Bernal, seemingly noticing that San Diego had not marked her, made the call even before Leicy Santos served the ball to the back post, waving for service. From there, it was textbook stuff as Bernal arrived on the spot, nodding home with ease.
This Rebeca Bernal equalizing header is 🤯 Served up by Leicy Santos, Rebeca Bernal nails the ball into the net for the Washington Spirit!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) May 15, 2026 at 10:46 PM
[image or embed]
A San Diego triple substitution at halftime initially didn't turn the tide, with the Spirit having a slight advantage in a game of few chances. However, Sandy MacIver had to be very alert in closing the angle after a 70th-minute pass crept behind the back line for Ludmila, who was one of the players to enter at the break.
San Diego felt they had a potential winner in the 76th minute after Washington failed three times to clear, but the sequence saw multiple Wave players standing offside. Lia Godfrey finished the chance, but the Spirit's appeals for a call were answered.
That wouldn't carry on. At the other end, the Spirit briefly howled for a penalty kick after Rosemonde Kouassi was brought down inside the box, but the only call from referee Jeremy Scheer was to book the visitors' bench for their protests.
The back-post corner had worked for the Spirit in the first half, but it spoiled their hopes in the second. Kenza Dali's 89th-minute delivery was nearly to the same spot as Santos' was in the first half finding Ascanio. The young midfielder's storming run ended with players from both teams on the ground, but as MacIver's attempt to punch clear went awry, the 18-year-old kept her footing to place a header into the bottom corner.
THAT’S THAT NWSL AFTER DARK ENERGYYYYY
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) May 16, 2026 at 12:10 AM
[image or embed]
Deep in stoppage time, the Spirit nearly pulled a result out of the fire as Haracic couldn't handle a Carle cross. Kouassi's square ball found Santos on the doorstep, but facing the wrong way she could only produce a tame backheel, with Haracic breathing a sigh of relief as she collected the shot.
The Spirit (5-3-2) are only halfway through the most grueling stretch of their 2026 schedule. Washington will head to Mexico over the weekend, where a semifinal clash with Pachuca in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup awaits at Estadio Hidalgo. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Box score — NWSL regular season (game 10)
5/15/2026
San Diego Wave 2 (Byars 7, Ascanio 89)
Washington Spirit 1 (Bernal 33)
Lineups:
Wave (433): DiDi Haracic; Mimi van Zanten, Kennedy Wesley (C), Kristen McNabb, Perle Morroni; Kenza Dali, Kimmi Ascanio, Gia Corley (Lia Godfrey 46); Gabi Portilho (Melanie Barcenas 46), Trinity Byars (Ludmila 46), Dudinha (Tatum Wynalda 90)
Spirit (433): Sandy MacIver; Lucia Di Guglielmo (Tamara Bolt 94+), Tara Rudd (C), Esme Morgan, Gabby Carle (Kate Wiesner 94+); Leicy Santos, Rebeca Bernal (Andi Sullivan 66), Hal Hershfelt; Trinity Rodman, Sofia Cantore (Gift Monday 74), Claudia MartÃnez (Rosemonde Kouassi 46)
Bookings:
Wave - Barcenas 73
Spirit - Rodman 46+, Bernal 56, Spirit bench 79
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
Weather: Cloudy, breezy, 64°
Attendance: Will add once I have it
Comments ()