Angel City lost 0–2 to San Diego at home tonight following goals by forwards Sofia Jakobsson and Makenzy Doniak. The match saw a strong performance by ACFC in many respects, but the team ultimately weren't able to break down the Wave's organized defense.
'We improved a lot defensively, with our defensive structure,' said Head Coach Freya Coombe after the match, 'but we’re learning that we need to do a little more in each of the boxes to see out games. We need to make sure we’re not allowing chances in those game-changing moments.'
Much of the first half was a midfield battle, as both sides defended well and limited quality chances for the opposition. Angel City had the better of the action early on, spending a fair amount of time in San Diego’s defensive third and combining for a few half-chances on goal. Several such chances went through forward Alyssa Thompson, but she found herself marked by multiple defenders each time and struggled to find space for a quality shot.
The Wave had the first dangerous shot of the half in the 11th minute when defender Kristen McNabb sent in a cross for midfielder Emily Van Egmond as the latter crashed the net, but her header went wide.
The match remained a back-and-forth affair with few real chances on either side, until the 36th minute, when San Diego had two looks in close succession. First, a corner kick by midfielder Dani Colaprico was punched away by ACFC keeper DiDi Haračić; the rebound fell to McNabb, who hit a volley that went wide. Less than a minute later, forward Alex Morgan sent a hard shot from the top of the 18 over the crossbar.
Angel City had their best chance yet in the 51st minute after a shot by forward Claire Emslie was blocked by defender Christen Westphal and fell to defender M.A. Vignola, who fired off a low, angled shot that beat multiple defenders but went inches wide of the far post.
The home team kept pushing and put together a number of near chances but ultimately couldn’t break down an organized San Diego defense. One promising transitional attack saw Thompson sprint into acres of space on the left side of the field and find McCaskill centrally, but was cut short when referee Ekaterina Koroleva whistled for a handball by McCaskill.
San Diego had a near miss in the 68th minute when forward Makenzy Doniak scooped up a second ball and took a hard, angled shot from the right side of the area that went wide. It was a play that foreshadowed the Wave’s first goal, in the 70th minute: a forward pass by Westphal found forward Sofia Jakobsson in the same area of the field. Jakobsson created some space from her mark and sent a left-footed shot into the back of the net.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 75th minute when a shot by Doniak from outside the 18 glanced off the back of defender Sarah Gorden and past Haračić. Because the initial shot was on target, it was recorded as a goal for Doniak, not an own goal.
'I think we let ourselves down in certain moments, especially with the two goals,' said McCaskill after the game. 'I think we have to be more clinical every single time that they get a transition moment. We lost the ball in a really bad area and they were able to capitalize on it.'
In stoppage time, Angel City had a look when forward Jun Endo sent a short cross to forward Scarlett Camberos in the left side of the area. Camberos took a touch to control the ball and struck a shot on the bounce that went over the crossbar.
The Wave's disciplined defending was especially evident inside the box; Angel City attempted 40 crosses during the game, while San Diego had 32 clearances, highlighting the visitors' low, tight defensive block.
'We knew that they were going to defend their box really deep and really tight,' said McCaskill after the game. 'That's just kind of how they defend. They put a lot of bodies in their box in order to defend crosses.'
Tonight was the first appearance and first start for midfielder Julie Ertz, who signed with the club earlier this week. 'She had a really good presence on the ball,' said Coombe. 'She looked calm under pressure, which translated to the rest of the team. They were a lot calmer on the ball. Even when pressed, she was able to deal with pressure really well and just calmly play out of it. Having her leadership in the center of the park is huge.'
'We have to improve on those little moments as well in order to get results, because I think at times we showed were the better team,' said McCaskill. 'I don't think the score reflects the performance, but I also think that there's areas that we can continue to improve on.'
Angel City plays next on the road against Portland, on Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m.
