Lia Godfrey and Melanie Barcenas Strike as San Diego Wave Outshoot and Blank Chicago Stars 2-0

Twenty shots to two. That is not a typo. For most of Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, the Chicago Stars were less an opponent than a group of extras in San Diego's highlight package, and the only real question was how long Alyssa Naeher could keep the credits from rolling.

The answer was 56 minutes. San Diego Wave FC beat the Chicago Stars 2-0 in front of 12,810 fans, with rookie Lia Godfrey breaking the deadlock and substitute Melanie Barcenas adding a stunner in the 72nd minute. Dudinha assisted both goals, and the Wave completed a three-wins-in-a-week stretch after opening the season with a loss.

Naeher Holds the Dam

San Diego went at Chicago from the opening whistle. Kimmi Ascanio headed a Kenza Dali delivery on target in the seventh minute, and Dali tested Naeher from range two minutes later. Both shots went to the same low corner, and Naeher handled both.

The pressure never really let up. The Wave had shots blocked from Ascanio and Dudinha in the 20th minute, from Godfrey in the 24th and from Dali in the 27th, while Laurina Fazer sent one over after a corner. Mimi Van Zanten forced another save from outside the box in the 35th minute, and Naeher saved Ludmila's header in the 44th too.

The best chance of the half came in first-half stoppage time. Ascanio whipped in a cross, Ludmila headed it wide from the right side of the six-yard box, and moments later Dudinha slid a shot wide from inside the six-yard box. Naeher had made four saves before halftime, and somehow it was 0-0.

Chicago, meanwhile, did not register a single attempt in the first half. Not one. The Wave completed 461 passes on the night to Chicago's 298, and the Stars' front line of Ivonne Chacón, Ryan Gareis and Jameese Joseph spent most of the opening 45 minutes chasing the ball rather than receiving it.

The Rookie Breaks Through

The second half opened with more of the same. Ascanio had a shot blocked in the 48th minute, and Naeher stretched to stop Van Zanten in the 52nd. Brianna Pinto picked up a yellow card a minute later as Chicago's defensive shape started to fray.

In the 56th minute, it finally cracked. Dudinha slipped Godfrey into the left side of the box, and the rookie stayed composed and placed a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. 1-0 Wave. Per the club, it was Godfrey's third goal in as many games, tying a club record for a rookie that Jaedyn Shaw set in 2022.

Chicago tried to respond with a triple change on the hour, bringing on Kathrin Hendrich, Leilanni Nesbeth and Nádia Gomes. San Diego countered with its own double change two minutes later, sending on Barcenas and Gabi Portilho for Godfrey and Ludmila.

The Turning Point: Barcenas Off the Bench

Chicago's first attempt of the night finally arrived in the 70th minute, a Gomes shot from outside the box on a fast break that missed to the right. Two minutes later the Wave put the game away.

Dudinha found Barcenas, who took on the Chicago defense and ripped a right-footed shot from outside the box into the top right corner. It was her second goal in as many games, and the Wave said it was the 4,000th goal in NWSL regular-season history. Not a bad bit of trivia for a goal that also happened to be gorgeous.

San Diego nearly made it three in the 79th minute, when Ascanio headed a Perle Morroni cross off the right post, and Naeher saved from Dudinha two minutes after that. Chicago's only shot on target came in stoppage time, a Micayla Johnson effort from distance that Leah Freeman saved.

Dudinha Pulls the Strings

Dudinha was the best player on the field. She had a hand in both goals, led all players with five shots and kept Chicago's back line guessing all night. Per the Wave, she now has three assists this season, more than any other player in the NWSL, and she became just the third player in club history to record two assists in one match. The club added that her assist marked the 300th goal contribution by a Brazilian player in the NWSL.

Ascanio was a constant threat with four shots, including the header off the post. Godfrey keeps producing, and Barcenas' goal was the third by a San Diego substitute this season, which the club says is the most of any team in the league.

At the other end, Freeman earned the first shutout of her career, according to the Wave, even if she only had to make one save to get it.

Naeher deserves real credit. Six saves, several of them sharp, and Chicago would have been staring at a much uglier score without her.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: San Diego 20, Chicago 2.
• Shots on target: San Diego 8, Chicago 1.
• Saves: Naeher 6, Freeman 1.
• Possession: San Diego 59 percent, Chicago 41 percent.
• Passes: San Diego 533, Chicago 369.

What It Means

San Diego improves to 3-0-1 with nine points and has won three straight since an opening-day home loss to the Houston Dash, beating the Utah Royals on the road and the Portland Thorns and Chicago at home. The club also introduced its newest signing, Catarina Macario, to the home crowd at halftime. The Wave visit Boston Legacy FC on April 3, the first-ever meeting between the clubs, per San Diego.

Chicago falls to 1-0-3 with three points and has now lost back-to-back games without scoring, following a 3-0 home loss to the Orlando Pride. The Stars visit the Utah Royals on April 3.

Closing Take

Some wins are dramatic. This one was a slow squeeze, a thriller that took 56 minutes to reach its first plot twist and then delivered the second with one swing of Barcenas' right foot. Chicago never got a scene of its own. San Diego looked like a team that knows exactly what it is.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional match details from SanDiegoWaveFC.com; no postgame quotes were available from the clubs' official sites.