Seattle Reign FC jumped to an early two-goal lead against San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
Maddie Mercado opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a header off a cross from Ainsley McCammon.
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Three minutes later, McCammon's corner kick was redirected by Jordyn Bugg into the net for the second goal.
San Diego entered the match in third place in the NWSL standings after a 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Current on July 17.
Seattle aimed to rebound from a 3-2 road loss to Gotham FC in their previous outing.
San Diego Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall acknowledged the challenge of playing at Snapdragon Stadium.
"It's a tough place to come to," Eidevall said.
"We're quite content with getting the point, and then being able to build on sort of all the positive things."
Eidevall praised forward Trinity Byars, who scored twice against Kansas City.
"Both the goals come from some really clever striker movement," he said. "There is a lot to like about her performances at the moment."
Byars, who made her regular-season debut earlier this year after recovering from a college ACL injury, recalled her first professional goal against the Washington Spirit.
"I couldn't have imagined a better first goal," Byars said. "I was really excited, just really grateful to honestly just be back on the field."
She discussed the mental challenges of her rehabilitation process.
