Lia Godfrey helps San Diego Wave weather the storm in Washington
· Yahoo Sports
San Diego Wave FC weathered the storm in Washington, D.C., as rookie standout Lia Godfrey scored the match's lone goal in a 1-0 victory over the Spirit. After the final whistle at Audi Field, a jubilant Jonas Eidevall was seen on the sideline after earning a tough three points on the road.
The Wave head coach was asked about his passionate postgame celebration and pointed to last year's heartbreaking defeat in Washington, when San Diego conceded in the closing moments.
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Eidevall said the loss had stayed with him, and he promised himself that the next time the Wave returned to Audi Field, they would be the ones celebrating at the final whistle.
Godfrey's strike in the 60th minute proved to be the difference, bringing her season total to nine goal contributions (five goals and four assists). This was her fourth game-winning goal of the season, a club record. The statement victory extended San Diego's unbeaten run away from home to five matches while ending Washington's impressive 13-match unbeaten streak.
In her second start for the San Diego Wave, goalkeeper Sandra Paños secured a clean sheet with two saves—a much better performance than her previous outing against the Seattle Reign, where she allowed two goals.
The Wave now sit on 32 points through 18 matches, compiling a 10-2-6 record. They remain fourth in the standings, trailing Gotham FC, Washington and the Utah Royals FC. Sunday afternoon was a clash between two of the top teams in the NWSL.
FINAL WHISTLE FIRE US UP JONAS pic.twitter.com/25pYT97qWk
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) August 2, 2026
Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos headline the dynamic Washington squad. Rodman, a potential MVP candidate this season, has scored eight goals and added five assists thus far. Santos has similar numbers with five goals and four assists.
The relentless rain in the nation's capital certainly played a role. You can hear the rain fall on the broadcast for the full 90 minutes of play. The weather made it difficult to dribble, pass, and shoot, which often led to sloppy play on the pitch.
Washington goalkeeper Sandy MacIver turned in a strong first-half performance, making several impressive saves, including back-to-back stops on Ludmila before denying Melanie Barcenas from distance. She finished the match with five saves and has only conceded 13 goals this season.
After a scoreless opening 45 minutes, San Diego capitalized on a bad pass. Following the takeaway, Trinity Byars, who was just subbed on in the 57th minute, sprinted into the attacking third and passed to Godfrey inside the box. She chipped the ball over a sliding MacIver and into the net.
“It was a great transition opportunity from us,” Godfrey said about her goal. “The ball was bouncing in the box, and I saw an opportunity to just chip it over [the goalkeeper], and thankfully it went in.”
Byars continues to deliver when her name has been called. She made the play happen but was not credited with the assist because it was deflected off a defender. Byars has scored six goals in 441 minutes played.
Godfrey has been used in various ways this season. At times, Eidevall would insert her in the second half to provide a spark, but today she started.
Lia Godfrey's NINTH goal contribution of the year 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8aYT89b0tZ
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) August 2, 2026
San Diego protected its one-goal advantage to secure the victory. Although possession was evenly split, the Wave created the better chances and outshot the Spirit by nine attempts.
Eidevall said that the Spirit didn’t have many dangerous goal-scoring possibilities, and complemented his defense's effort and cohesiveness.
Veteran defender Kristen McNabb logged her 100th appearance for the club, becoming the first-ever player to reach that milestone with San Diego. Eidevall called McNabb a “club legend,” highlighting her professionalism, importance to the team, and that they’re lucky to have her with the club.
Another notable accolade: Kimmi Ascanio became the youngest player in NWSL history to appear in 50 games.
San Diego will continue its road trip with another difficult test, traveling to face Gotham FC on Friday, Aug. 7 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The matchup will mark yet another meeting with one of the NWSL's top teams and a rematch of the clubs' 4th of July encounter, which the Wave won 2-0.