Wave return to Seattle expecting better result

A painful day in Seattle was good for the San Diego Wave, in contrast to the 2010 San Diego Chargers.

Having fixed problems that arose in Seattle in the preseason, the Wave stand atop the National Women’s Soccer League’s regular-season standings entering today’s game in Seattle against OL Reign.

“It was a massive lesson for us that we took,” coach Casey Stoney said, “but we need to make sure it stays as a lesson, and we have to start brightly this weekend.”

The Wave (4-1) began the April 14 match by allowing three goals in just 11 minutes. The threescore flurry was the fastest in NWSL history. Three days later at Portland, the Wave gave up three more first-half goals. Though exhibition games can be deceiving, “we didn’t shy away from looking at those two games, and why they played out the way they did,” defender Christen Westphal said Friday.

Stoney prescribed a better road mentality, and more attention to defensive details across a wide spectrum.

Something got figured out.

On the road, the Wave have won two of three games. All told, they’ve allowed two goals — one fewer than in the porous first

11 minutes at Seattle.

“It’s definitely something we’ve learned from and grown from,” Westphal said.

As the 2010 Chargers found out, not fixing a big problem can wreck a season. Recurring breakdowns by special teams cost them a playoff berth, despite receiver Patrick Crayton sounding the alarm. Following a Week 3 loss at Seattle on the strength of Leon Washington’s kick returns for two touchdowns, Crayton said teammates had tuned out special teams coach Steve Crosby that week.

Norv Turner and A.J. Smith succeeded at gagging Crayton, but not at fixing the special teams. The Chargers missed the postseason despite their offense and defense leading the NFL in yardage.

The Wave have confidence they can solve problems. Westphal said it was a “massive thing” to build upon the harsh lessons of Seattle and Portland. “It’s important to just see the lesson in it,” she added.

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan has played every match since illness sidelined her at Seattle and Portland. Having played all 450 minutes, rookie Naomi Girma and midfielder Emily van Egmond have steadied the defense. True to veteran striker Alex Morgan’s forecast in April, Stoney’s tactics have bolstered the defense.

The Reign (1-1-3) are one of the NWSL’S original eight franchises and show seven consecutive winning seasons. The 69,000-seat stadium that houses them is the same fake-grass venue in which the Seahawks’ Washington ran by Chargers defenders in September 2010.

tom.krasovic@sduniontribune.com

Wave at OL Reign

Today:

Noon, Lumen Field, Seattle

Streaming:

Paramount+