The first-place San Diego Wave are preparing for one of their biggest tests of the season as rival Angel City FC comes to Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday.
The Wave are riding high after a 2-0 win over Gotham FC — their first game without leading scorer Dudinha, who was lost for the season with an ACL injury while playing for Brazil's national team during the summer international break.
With the World Cup still underway, soccer is having a major moment, and Wave players say they can feel it.
"A lot more people are getting interested in soccer," defender Mimi Van Zanten told ABC 10News at training this week. "It's kind of bleeding into women's soccer, specifically, which is so incredible to see because women's soccer is the same thing as men's soccer. It's an incredible sport; it's just women that are playing it."
For Van Zanten, the momentum has made for a memorable rookie season in the NWSL.
"I knew I was going to be going into a place that cared about their players and their development, which is what I wanted, and so far I feel like I've grown so much and I have so much to still work on and I'm really excited to be here and be able to do that with the Wave."
Both Dudinha and Van Zanten were instrumental in the Wave's last meeting against Angel City, which was tied 1-1 late in the match when Dudinha lofted a pass into the box that Van Zanten headed into the back of the net for her first professional goal and a 2-1 win.
"It was unforgettable. Dudinha, again, set up a perfect ball for me. All I had to do was head the ball in. That was an incredible game. It was my first rivalry game, too. The vibes were super-high and I'm excited to see what Snapdragon looks like now that we're going to be playing them at home," Van Zanten said.
Saturday's match kicks off at 5:45 p.m. and will be televised on ION.
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