San Diego Wave Fútbol Club officially concluded its participation in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup on Saturday night earning a 1-1 draw against OL Reign at Torero Stadium thanks to a penalty kick conversion by forward Alex Morgan to end the first half.

The team now sets its sights on the regular-season opener on May 1 when it travels to face the Houston Dash.

“We are the team that has played the most rookies in terms of minutes. I play them because I believe in them, and they are more than capable,” said Wave head coach Casey Stoney.

San Diego had a mixed set of results in the six matches that it played during the six-week-long Challenge Cup with the team getting its first win as a member of the NWSL on April 2 versus Angel City FC and earning five points with a 1-3-2 record overall for a third-place finish in Group B.

The Houston Dash finished last season in seventh place of the regular season standings with 32 points in its 24 matches just missing out on making the playoffs by one point to the North Carolina Courage. Despite not making the semifinal round in this year’s Challenge Cup after finishing in last place in the Group C standings, Houston had its best performance in 2020 when the team was crowned champions of the tournament thanks to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars in the championship game.