Lia Godfrey's Chip Sinks Washington Spirit as San Diego Wave Win 1-0 in the Rain at Audi Field

Rain hammered Audi Field on Sunday afternoon, the kind of downpour that turns every pass into a gamble and every loose ball into a coin flip. San Diego called the right side once, and Lia Godfrey did the rest.

The rookie chipped Sandy MacIver in the 60th minute and the San Diego Wave beat the Washington Spirit 1-0, with Sandra Paños making two saves for the first shutout of her NWSL career. It was also San Diego's first win at Audi Field in club history, per the Wave.

A Soggy, Scrappy First Half

Neither team looked comfortable early on a surface that was getting slicker by the minute. San Diego had the better of the opening exchanges anyway. Ludmila had a header blocked in the fifth minute, Laurina Fazer's shot from distance went just wide in the seventh, and the Wave won a pair of early corners.

MacIver was the busiest player on the field in the first half hour. In the 16th minute she saved Ludmila's shot from the middle of the box and then, moments later, tipped Melanie Barcenas' long-range effort away from the top left corner. Kimmi Ascanio fired over in the 25th.

Washington's best moments came in flashes. Sofia Cantore tried her luck from more than 35 yards in the eighth minute, and Trinity Rodman pulled a shot wide in the 26th after an overlapping Gabrielle Carle set her up. Ludmila nearly broke the deadlock with a header from a Godfrey set piece in the 43rd, but it slid just wide. At the other end, in first-half stoppage time, Paños made her two saves of the day in quick succession, first on Cantore from the center of the box and then on a long-range blast from Rebeca Bernal. It was 0-0 at the break.

San Diego Turns Up the Volume

The Wave came out of halftime hunting. MacIver denied Ludmila again in the 46th, Ludmila headed wide three minutes later, and in a frantic 50th minute San Diego had three looks: Fazer just wide, Gia Corley blocked and Godfrey forcing MacIver into another save.

Washington pushed back. Rodman carried the ball from deep and let fly just wide in the 55th, and two minutes later Bernal smacked the crossbar from outside the box. Of all the close calls on a wet afternoon, that one hurt the most.

San Diego coach Jonas Eidevall sent on Trinity Byars for Ludmila in the 57th minute. It took three minutes for that change to matter.

The Turning Point

In the 60th minute the Wave won the ball near midfield and pushed forward. According to San Diego, Byars beat two defenders to a loose ball and played Godfrey into space. The Spirit's account had the ball deflecting in the box before San Diego got to it. Either way, Godfrey arrived at full speed and lifted a left-footed chip over MacIver from the center of the box. 1-0.

The Wave said it was Godfrey's fifth goal of the season and her fourth game-winner, a single-season club record. For a rookie, that is a remarkable number of moments that decided matches.

Washington responded with a double change in the 61st minute, Claudia Martínez for Cantore and Andi Sullivan for Leicy Santos, and later sent on Tamara Bolt and Madison Haugen. The Spirit held the ball for long stretches late, but they could not turn possession into shots. After Bernal's crossbar in the 57th, Washington did not register another attempt for the rest of the match.

San Diego had a scare when Ascanio went down and had to be replaced by Kenza Dali in the 65th minute because of an injury. Dali tested MacIver from distance in the 74th. Eight minutes of stoppage time passed with Washington earning three corners and nothing more.

Who Delivered

Lia Godfrey put both of her shots on target, scored the winner and supplied the set piece for Ludmila's late first-half header.

Sandra Paños only had to make two saves, but both came in a dangerous first-half stoppage-time flurry, and the clean sheet was the first of her NWSL career.

Ludmila led everyone with five shots, two on target, and kept MacIver honest all afternoon before coming off.

Sandy MacIver made five saves for Washington and was the main reason the Wave didn't win by more.

Kristen McNabb had a milestone day in the back line. San Diego said this was her 100th appearance for the club, making her the first player in Wave history to get there. The club also noted that Ascanio became the youngest player in league history to reach 50 appearances.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: San Diego 15, Washington 6.
• Shots on target: San Diego 6, Washington 2.
• Saves: MacIver 5, Paños 2.
• Possession: Washington 50.1 percent, San Diego 49.9.
• Tackles: San Diego won 13 of its 24; Washington won 5 of 10.

What It Means

San Diego moves to 10-2-6 with 32 points, and the Wave said the win extended their unbeaten road run to five matches. It also ended a three-match winless stretch: a 2-0 home loss to Angel City, a 2-2 draw at Kansas City and a 2-0 home loss to Seattle. Eidevall picked up his 10th win of the season, and San Diego said he is only the ninth coach in NWSL history to reach 10 wins in back-to-back seasons. The Wave had also beaten Washington 2-1 at home on May 15. Next up is a trip to Gotham FC on Friday, Aug. 7.

Washington falls to 11-3-4 with 36 points, and the Spirit's recap said they sit second in the NWSL table with 12 matches left. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak that included road wins at Boston and Utah and a home win over Denver. The Spirit stay home to face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Closing Take

Rain games are supposed to be ugly, and this one mostly was. But somewhere in the middle of a monsoon, a rookie found the calmest touch on the field and floated it over a goalkeeper. Call it Singin' in the Rain, NWSL edition: Godfrey danced, the Spirit got soaked, and San Diego finally has a win in D.C.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional match details from San Diego Wave FC's and the Washington Spirit's official recaps; neither club's recap included postgame quotes.