Wave draw with Portland thanks to two late goals

Alex Morgan isn’t the Wave’s only dangerous player, although it may have seemed so.

Taylor Kornieck, a Morgan protege newly added to the U.S. national team’s summer camp roster, scored twice Wednesday night to reward a capacity crowd of 6,100 and rally the first-year soccer team to a 2-2 tie against the Portland Thorns at the University of San Diego.

Outplaying Portland, which won the National Women Soccer League’s regular season last year, the Wave created more scoring chances in each half but trailed 2-0 late.

Finally, the sustained pressure paid off when Kornieck scored twice — in the 81st and 88th minutes — on passes from rookie Amirah Ali and Christen Westphal to keep the Wave (4-2-2) unbeaten in three home matches.

“We’re so grateful for all of the fans and all of this incredible energy, and that’s what helped us,” said Kornieck, a 23-yearold midfielder who followed Morgan from Orlando to San Diego in the offseason. “We just kept pushing and pushing and never gave up.”

“We played arguably some of the best football we’ve played,” coach Casey Stoney said.

Because Morgan had scored eight of their 10 goals, the Wave aimed to diversify their attack, although as Morgan had noted, teammates had set up six of her goals, including four off penalty kicks.

“We can’t rely on one player,” Stoney said last week, raising that theme, “but, at the same time, I’m thankful she’s in our team, and that she’s healthy, happy and scoring goals.”

As planned, the Wave (4-2-2) varied their offense. They overcame goals by Thorns stars Sophia Smith and Christine Sinclair and the referee not seeing the ball cross the goal line, a miscue that denied San Diego a tying goal in the first half.

All told, it was the Wave’s best offensive performance of the season.

And, with Kornieck learning Wednesday she’s eligible to train with the national team, the Wave again outperformed their expansion status.