Wave coach fit to be tied after latest draw

The frustration was evident almost immediately after the referee blew the whistle to end the game, giving the San Diego Wave yet another draw — this time a 1-1 tie with rival Angel City.

Midfielder Kenza Dali kicked the grass in frustration, while Jordan Fusco stood with her hands on her head. Once again, a late goal had cost the Wave a win — something they haven’t achieved since June 13 against the Houston Dash.

The club’s return to Snapdragon Stadium brought a familiar result. The previous 10 or so minutes were anything but normal.

In the 85th minute, Makenzy Robbe had a breakaway down the right side and looked to pass into the middle of the box, but her attempt was deflected by an Angel City defender. This time, Robbe decided to shoot — a curling effort that found the corner of the net, past outstretched goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, giving the Wave a 1-0 lead.

It was the Wave’s first goal in 304 minutes, their last coming in the 51st minute of their 3-2 win over Houston — scored by Maria Sanchez, who is no longer with the team.

“It’s really nice to see a player like Mackenzie Robbie that works incredibly hard in training, that she gets rewarded for that,” Wave manager Jonas Eidevall said. “But unfortunately, we don’t have the day to be able to close out the game, which is frustrating when you look at the context for the year.”

For a moment, it seemed like San Diego had ended its winless streak, but Angel City kept pressing.

In injury time, Angel City won a corner kick that was cleared to the opposite side of the field. Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir collected the ball, evaded Fusco, and sent a cross into the box for Alanna Kennedy, whose header found the back of the net.

It was the third time this season the Wave have conceded a goal in the 85th minute or later, allowing the opposition to either tie or win.

Eidevall gathered the team after the match to recognize Robbe’s effort but also to address the disappointment.

“I think we need to look ourselves in the mirror,” Eidevall said. “We have much higher expectations on ourselves as a team in the second half. We made that unnecessarily hard for ourselves with the way we turned over the ball and that we have to improve.”

The Wave controlled the first half, with Adriana Leon, Kennedy Wesley and Gia Corley all having chances to score. They recorded eight shots — only one on target — compared with Angel City’s single attempt before halftime.

The best opportunity came just before the break, when Kimmi Ascanio stole the ball deep in Angel City territory. She raced toward the right side and, with a defender arriving late, curled a shot that drifted just wide of the post.

The sides went into the locker room tied 0-0.

In the second half, momentum shifted heavily toward Angel City, which fired 13 shots — six on target — after managing just one in the first half.

“I think the second half is not a good half of football for us,” Eidevall said. “We are sloppy in possession. We turn over the ball. They have a term in tennis that I like — it’s ‘unforced errors — and I think we have a lot of them.”

The Wave missed a chance to leap into second place, as both Orlando and Washington settled for draws in their matches. San Diego remains in fourth, with Seattle Reign just two points behind.

The Wave look to end their three-game winless streak next Saturday, when they travel to face Bay FC.