SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Although the San Diego Wave FC came up short in their quest for an NWSL title in their inaugural season, the team does have some hardware from 2022 to put in the trophy case.
Wave head coach Casey Stoney was named the 2022 NWSL Coach of the Year on Wednesday, according to a press release.
As the first coach in team history, Stoney wasted no time making sure Wave players performed at their peak throughout the season. The club came out of the gate strong, going 4-1-0 in their opening five matches.
By the end of the season, the Wave finished third in the standings at 10-6-6.
Stoney made sure the Wave defense was a brick wall, giving up a league-best 21 goals in 22 matches. The club outscored foes 32-21 on the year.
One particularly impressive item Stoney can add to her resume is this: The San Diego Wave are the first expansion side club to reach the NWSL Playoffs in their inaugural season.
Stoney is one of two head coaches to reach 10-regular season wins in their first full season in the league since 2014.
The press release also says Stoney is the second woman to win the NWSL's top coaching award.
She was previously the head coach of Manchester United in the Women's Super League before joining San Diego in 2021. Stoney was a captain for the English National Team before coaching.
OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey finished second in coach of the year voting, while Kansas City Current head coach Matt Potter came in third.
The list of finalists was determined after a round of preliminary votes from owners, general managers, coaches, players and media members. Fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players and media then made the final vote.
The Wave's season came to an end Sunday in the semi-final of the NWSL playoffs, falling to the Portland Thorns 2-1.
San Diego holds the record for attendance for both the NWSL playoffs and regular season: 26,215 and 32,000 fans, respectively. Fans can start buying tickets for the 2023 season here.
