Finally back home, Wave look to score, shine against NWSL rival

The San Diego Wave will play at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time since June 22, hosting rival Angel City FC in a crucial matchup.

The rivals are in very different places at the midpoint of the 2025 season. San Diego (7-3-4) sits in fourth place with 25 points heading into Saturday’s 7 p.m. match, while Angel City (4-7-3) is 11th with 15 points.

The Wave haven’t scored in the last 219 minutes of play; their last two matches have ended in scoreless draws.

Coach Jonas Eidevall has simple goals for Saturday.

“I definitely hope we score goals,” Eidevall said. “I hope we keep a clean sheet. I hope we win the game. I hope we work really, really hard as a team. I hope we play exciting football I know, and I really hope we ignite Snapdragon.”

To spark scoring, San Diego would be wise to lean on the right-side pairing of fullback Hanna Lundkvist and winger Delphine Cascarino. The two have combined for four goals and seven assists this season.

“Just that understanding what spaces she wants the ball in and when she wants the ball,” Lundkvist said. “I feel like we’ve developed that a lot, and the connection between us and she lets me do my thing and then I, of course, let her do her thing.”

Cascarino, who considers Lundkvist one of her best friends on the team, says their chemistry comes with consistent practice and understanding what the other one needs.

“I think it’s natural, because I’m not someone who talks a lot, even on the field, so I don’t need to tell her that to put the ball here,” Cascarino said. “She just feels it, and she gives me a lot of good balls.”

During a June match against the Houston Dash, Cascarino forced a turnover deep in Houston’s half. Lundkvist intercepted the ball, sprinted down the line, and found Adriana Leon for a goal.

“I think they know each other well enough,” Wave midfielder Savannah McCaskill said. “Hanna knows when to leave Delph 1-v-1, and Delph knows when to cut inside and let Hanna go around her. Their relationship has been really fun to watch.”

The 23-year-old Swede has impressed Eidevall with her growth at fullback. She’s had to master constant decision-making — whether to push forward or stay back, wait for the play to develop or press aggressively, and decide when to pass the ball ahead or carry it herself to create space for teammates to receive a pass.

“Playing fullback back in this league in a back-four is some of the tougher positions,” Eidevall said. “There are so many speedy wingers in the league, but she really has developed her decision-making to play in the back … when to engage into pressure angles, and so that’s been really good to see.”

Lundkvist also shares a unique connection with her manager — both are Swedish, and they often communicate in their native language during games to keep opponents guessing.

“Sometimes in games, it’s hard for me to find the right words in English when it’s so intense,” Lundkvist admitted. “So to be able to say stuff to him in Swedish, and for him to say stuff to me in Swedish, it’s helpful of course.”

Lundkvist (Sweden) and Cascarino (France) both played in this summer’s UEFA European Women’s Championship.

Despite falling to England in the quarterfinals, Lundkvist said she learned how to manage high-pressure moments.

“I feel like that’s some of the major things that I developed during the tournament to understand and to deal with that pressure,” she said. “Every game is so important.”

Saturday marks the Wave’s first home match in nearly two months, and the team expects a loud, energized crowd.

“I think, too, it’s seeing the fans buy into it that’s creating the rivalry more so than the players,” McCaskill said. “Seeing the fans and how they come out. They’re passionate about this game, and so that makes us want to win for our fans.”

San Diego Wave (7-3-4) vs. Angel City FC (4-7-3)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Snapdragon Stadium

TV: ION