Wave win 2-1 in North Carolina and lock up a home playoff quarterfinal at Snapdragon
Melanie Barcenas scored four minutes in, Trinity Byars doubled the lead in the 52nd minute, and San Diego Wave FC held off the North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Saturday in Cary. The win guarantees the Wave a top four finish and a home quarterfinal in the 2026 NWSL Playoffs.
CARY, N.C.: San Diego Wave FC will open the 2026 NWSL Playoffs at home. The Wave beat the North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Saturday at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, a result that secured a home quarterfinal and guaranteed the club a top four finish with two regular season matches still to play.
The Wave reached 54 points with the win. North Carolina stayed on 42 points. San Diego outshot the Courage 15 to 13 and put five shots on target to North Carolina's four, and the two goals arrived early in each half, which is becoming this team's signature: San Diego has scored five goals inside the opening five minutes of matches this season, the most of any club in the league.
Barcenas, then Byars
The first came in the fourth minute. Lia Godfrey played the ball to Melanie Barcenas, who fired from distance, off the post and in. It was Barcenas's seventh goal of the season, a new NWSL single season record for goals by a teenager, and her first on the road this year after six at Snapdragon Stadium. In the 14th minute she nearly had another, curling a left footed effort off the crossbar.
Godfrey's assist was her sixth of the season, the most among NWSL rookies this year, and brought her to 12 goal contributions. The Wave's second goal, in the 52nd minute, came from its other finisher. Gia Corley played Trinity Byars through on goal, and Byars chipped the ball over former Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for her 11th goal of the season, the most by a San Diego player in a single season since Alex Morgan in 2022, according to the club.
A late goal, and a lead held
North Carolina made the last 10 minutes uncomfortable. Vilde Bøe Risa, on as a substitute, scored in the 83rd minute off an Ashley Sanchez assist to cut the lead to 2-1, and the Courage pushed for an equalizer through stoppage time. The Wave held on, with defenders Kennedy Wesley and Kristen McNabb playing all 90 minutes in their 28th consecutive start together.
The home quarterfinal will be played at Snapdragon Stadium between November 6 and 8, the club said. First, San Diego closes its home regular season schedule against Boston Legacy FC on Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m. PT at Snapdragon, with one more regular season match after that before the playoffs begin.
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