It may not have been a San Diego Wave Final, but Saturday night was a great look at what both San Diego and the National Women’s Soccer League has built in the last two years, and a preview of what’s to come for women’s sports, not just locally in San Diego, but on the national level, too.

As OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC convened on San Diego as a neutral-site host, the excitement was very real and the game itself was exactly as anyone could’ve hoped for. With the exception, of course, of a sixth-minute exit for OL Reign’s Megan Rapinoe in the final game of her career.

A NWSL Final record of 25,011 fans packed Snapdragon Stadium as OL Reign and Gotham played an exciting back-and-forth game with nonstop action for a 2-1 championship-clinching victory for New York, a first-time champion.

The game, on prime-time on national TV, saw three goals on three shots on target in the opening half and was filled with exciting moments all night long from the first minute to the 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time.

​​Everything about the game showcased what the league has become and what will be expected of crowds for years to come as the league continues to set standards and raise expectations.

“I just think it’s no longer a surprise anymore,” OL Reign’s Lauren Barnes said about hearing the crowds walking onto the pitch before the game. “I think women’s soccer has finally, like, solidified that, I hope. As you see, the more investments, but these numbers don’t lie. And they’ve been this way for a while. We’ve been breaking records the entire year in so many different venues and so many different moments, so we love it but I don’t want it to be a surprise anymore.”

“I think every year just keeps getting better and better so, I mean, I thought that for the World Cup, I thought that for this game, so I think that this is the standard and just has to keep growing and growing,” OL Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle said.

San Diego led the NWSL in attendance in their second year and they, along with Angel City FC, have been the leader in women’s soccer growth in the last two seasons since the league’s expansion.

The league hopes their next two expansion teams in San Francisco and Salt Lake City continue to follow that trend as women’s soccer continues to grow across the globe.