Starfire Sports was full of people Friday night for the Sounders Women final home game of the season and the Sounders FC Cup. With a larger than average crowd the Sounders were ready to pull off a win for their home crowd. The game started off on the wrong note for the Sounders when the Heat scored 42 seconds into the game. The sun was just setting and they took advantage of that, chipping a ball in the air over Erin McNulty who was blinded by the sun. The unfortunate early goal silenced the crowd as many were in shock. The bad news continued for the Sounders when in the 9th minute McNulty couldn’t hold onto a ball that was ripped across the front of the net. The Heat forward found the rebound to put the ball in the back of the net. Being down 2-0 in the first ten minutes caused the Sounders to increase intensity and physicality. The game was aggressive between both teams with the Sounders being issued a yellow card in the 28th minute. In the stoppage time of the first half the Sounders continued to battle and were able to find the net just before the whistle blew. The game went to half with a score of 2-1 in favor of the Heat.

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With renewed confidence after a late goal the Sounders came out fighting for another goal to tie the game. In the 52nd minute the Sounders were able to combine a few lovely passes, beat the Heat defense, and finish a lovely goal to tie of the game. In the 65th minute a Lyndsey Patterson of the Sounders was drug down in the box after receiving a cross from teammate Lindsey Elston, the crowd erupted feeling that the referees missed an opportunity to award the Sounders a penalty kick. A short time later the Sounders offense carried the ball forward and found Melissa Busque posted up in the goal mouth, with a lovely turn she was able to find space and fire a shot at the Heat keeper but while shooting she was fouled and awarded a PK this time. With the cheers of the crowd, Busque stayed calm and placed her PK beautifully in the side netting to take the lead for the Sounders. In the 75th minute McNulty had to pull the ball off her goal line as a Heat player tried to sneak it by her. This magnificent save kept the Sounders in the lead. Even with five minutes of stoppage time the Heat could not convert another goal and the Sounders would win the game 3-2. Some may say that this was the comeback of the century!

The Sounders will either finish first or second in their division and depending on where they finish will determine where they start their playoff season. The Sounders next game is July 14th in the Bay Area. Check out their website to watch a live stream of the game!

With near record breaking temperatures Sunday evening the Sounders Women welcomed the Colorado Rapids to Starfire Stadium.  With the Sounders needing a win to guarantee a home playoff match, the game was sure to be competitive.

Possession was 50/50 for the majority of the first half. Neither team had any true scoring opportunities until the 27^th minute when Sounders Rachel Merick lobbed a beautiful ball into the box where teammate Janine Beckie found the ball and had a powerful header on frame.  Colorado keeper, Kate Scheele got her fingertips on the ball to give the Sounders a corner.  The Sounders were not able to capitalize on the corner unfortunately.  In the 30^th minute Colorado played a brilliant through ball to Kristen Hamilton who beat the Sounder defense and was able to beat Sounders keeper, Erin McNulty at the far post.  Colorado went up 1-0. Both teams went into half time hot and tired after a hard fought first half.

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With temperatures dropping and shade covering the turf, both teams came out refreshed and ready to finish the game strong.  Early in the second half the Sounders proved to the fans that they were looking for a goal to bring the game to a tie.  The crowd was lively and enthusiastic despite the high temperatures! In the 56^th minute the Rapids were able to beat the Sounders defense with combination of dribbling and a few lovely passes and preserve their lead of 2-0.  Hamilton found the pass from teammate Brooke Spence.  With back and forth possession between both teams the Sounders looked to push forward and bring the game within one.  They were rewarded for their efforts in the 82^nd minute when the Sounders were awarded and capitalized on a penalty kick.  Sara Campbell remained cool under pressure and struck the ball beautifully past Scheele.  Although the Sounders continued to press, the score would end 2-1 in favor of Colorado.

The Sounders are back at Starfire Stadium on July 5th.  They will look to maintain their first place position in the W-League standings.  The Sounders take on Santa Clarita at 7 pm.  Come support your Sounders Women at their last home game of the season.  Click here for tickets and further information.

With the sun setting and the summer breeze blowing the Seattle Reign came to Starfire Stadium ready to continue their winning streak.   With Megan Rapinoe as a substitute, the stadium was packed and full of enthusiasm!

Throughout the first half both teams were equally aggressive and possessing the ball well.  The first scoring opportunity for the Reign came in the 24^th minute with a side volley that Jessica Fishlock found off a cross from her teammate.  The volley was placed just over the crossbar.  With possession equally spilt between the two teams the next scoring opportunity did not come until the 36^th minute with Fishlock finding the ball again for an attacking header on goal.  Chicago keeper, Erin McLoed came up with the save to keep the game at 0’s.  With the sun almost set, the game went to halftime with a score of 0-0.

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Both teams came out rested, hydrated, and ready to score.  In the 51^st minute Seattle’s Kennya Cordner was drug down in the box and was awarded a penalty kick.  Katelyn Kyle beautifully placed the shot to put the Reign up 1-0.  A few short minutes later Megan Rapinoe would make her first appearance at Starfire Stadium.  The crowd erupted in cheers, which could be heard all over the Starfire campus.  In the 59^th Fishlock found the opportunity to chip McLeod and did so beautifully.  Fishlock’s goal put Seattle up by two.  The half continued with the Reign possessing the ball for the majority of the half.  In the 84^th minute Michelle Wenino of Chicago was able to capitalize on a Chicago corner to bring the game within one.  In the closing minutes of the match Christine Nairn of Seattle found space on the field to attack Chicago.  She placed a lovely through ball to Rapinoe, who then beat the defense with a simple cut and shot to the back post.  Chicago had no chance to stop the shot and the Reign went up 3-1.  The game would end seconds after Rapinoe scored with a score of 3-1.

The Seattle Reign will be back at Starfire on July 3^rd against the Boston Breakers with kickoff at 7 pm.  Click here to buy your tickets.  Come and join us!

The two top teams of the W-League went head to head this afternoon in the Starfire Sports Stadium. The Sounders Women were unbeaten on the season until today.

True to Seattle, the game kicked off with light rain and loud fans.

Sounders forward, Janine Beckie, opened up the action in the 5th minute when she hit a volley into the wrong side of the side netting. Then in the 15th minute, Mele French for Pali opened up the scoring. She received a perfect little chipped ball from Samantha Mewis, settled it, and then drove it home hard off of the post to give Pali a 1-0 lead. Then just 10 minutes later French put another one in the back of the net. She was tip-toeing along the 18-yard box, keeping the ball close to her foot and then fired off a well placed shot into the top of the net.

In the 37th minute Pali found their 3rd goal of the half. Rachel Nuzzolese was able to turn on a Sounders defender, creating enough space to hit a left-footed rocket into the far post upper-v.

Pali dominated possession in the first half and French was causing all sorts of problems for the Sounders defense. The Sounders just could not find a consistent rhythm.

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The half ended with a 3-0 lead for Pali Blues.

In the 2nd half, Mele was once again the source of excitement. She found herself one-on-one with the Sounders keeper, Erin McNulty, but was unable to put it past her for the hat-trick.

The Sounders brought on substitutes in the second half and with the new players came a new energy. The Sounders began to press more and play more offensively. They played like they had nothing to lose, because they didn’t. The Sounders almost got on the scoreboard in the 60th minute; Sarah Campbell chipped a beautiful through ball to Janine Beckie and Beckie hit an absolute rocket shot but was denied by the post. Unfortunately this was the best play of the game for the Sounders. They pressured hard but Pali sat back and played defense to protect the lead. The Sounders were unable to create any real goal scoring opportunities.

The match ended 3-0 and Sounders recorded their first loss of the season. You can expect the Sounders to come back and play hard next weekend to maintain their spot as the top team in the W-League.

Find more information on the Sounders Women on their website.

After a grey and rainy day, the sun broke through for the Sounders Women game against the Bay Area Breeze. After a long stint on the road, the Sounders were ready to show their home crowd that they were ready to play.

In the fourth minute of play the Sounders received a corner. With a driven cross from Janine Beckie, Beth Russell found the ball with her head and powered it toward the goal. The ball pinged off a Bay Area player into the net to put a goal on the board for the Sounders. The match was even throughout the first half with no other real scoring opportunities for either team.

With the sun setting, the Breeze came out in the second half looking to score a goal. In 54th minute Bay Area Breeze ripped a shot 25 yards out and Sounders Erin McNulty got her fingertips on the ball to give the Breeze a corner. The save was world class as McNulty got a full extension and saved what would have been a beautiful goal. The battle continued between both teams throughout the second half. In the 74th minute Seattle managed to pick up a loose ball on the top of the eighteen and loft a shot. The shot went just high and the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Sounders. Just a few short minutes later, Bay Area squeezed by the Seattle defense to slice a shot toward McNulty. Bay Area picked up the rebound and chipped the ball back toward goal in an effort to tie the game. In the 90th minute Nikki Ambrose of Seattle placed a perfectly weighted pass through to teammate Melissa Busque who found the pass and slotted the ball past the Bay Area keeper perfectly. Seattle went up 2-0 in the 90th minute and that would be the final score for the game.

With this 2-0 win, the Sounders Women remain at the top of standings with 20 points. The Sounders will be back at Starfire on Sunday to take on Pali. Kickoff is at 3:30 pm. Click here to find more information and tickets to the game.

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