Game of the Week (5/5): Green River CC vs Near Miss FC

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This week’s Game of the Week saw Green River CC and Near Miss FC compete in our men’s outdoor 8v8 league. The game promised to be an exciting one to watch, as both teams looked determined to take away three points.

Green River CC started off on full throttle, commanding possession, passing the ball around and making good runs down the flanks during the opening minutes. Their first chance came early when a Green River CC player worked the ball well in the corner, cut into the box and took a shot which was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Soon after, the squad was awarded a free kick right outside of the box. The kick taker opted to lay it off to his teammate who ripped a powerful shot that went wide of goal. Their third scoring opportunity came as Muhhammud took his shot off an excellent trough ball, which was parried by the keeper. Muhhammud was in the thick of the action once again when he received another through ball moments later, took a few touches, cut it inside and struck the ball well only to have the goalkeeper come up big once again. Near Miss FC remained on the back foot as Green River CC continued to press. Green River CC had another chance go begging after they put a string of neat passes together at the top of the box only to shoot it wide. Green River CC’s moment finally came with a third remaining in the first half when a shot took a massive deflection and rolled into the net. Near Miss FC’s most promising chance came from a corner kick soon after. The ball was placed in the middle of the box, which was cleared, but only as far as an oncoming Near Miss FC player who launched a shot that the Green River keeper saved pretty handily. Green River’s final chance of the half came from a moment of mastery by Cameron who turned a clearance into a beautiful long pass over the top to Muhhammud whose shot hit the post.

The second half resumed with very much the same rhythm as the first with Green River CC taking control to produce an early goal via another deflection. They added another when a ball was played in the box and the advancing goalkeeper failed to get to it before the striker easily slotted into the corner. Green River CC upped their goal count to four before Near Miss FC produced one of their own. Some intricate passing in the box set up a Near Miss who took a powerful shot that sailed beyond the outstretched arm of the Green River goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Near Miss continued to press and create chances by working the ball around well, but were unable to convert any more opportunities. Green River CC would take the match 4-1.

 

Seattle Reign FC v. FC Kansas City

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Seattle Reign FC faced off with FC Kansas City tonight for the second time in eight days. The Seattle Reign lost their first match against Kansas City. The atmosphere was full of excitement: it was the first home game for the Reign, perfect weather, and packed stands.

The game kicked off and you could tell the two teams knew each other very well. There were a couple of hard challenges to set the tone early. Each team was awarded a free kick within shooting range within the first 6 minutes of the game. However, neither team capitalized on those opportunities. In the 13th minute Seattle Reign’s keeper, Michelle Betos, had an amazing save to stop a volley that was sent to the far post corner of the net. Again in the 16th minute, Betos had a beautiful quick reaction, diving stop to save a sure goal; off the rebound a Kansas City forward fired in another shot, but it was cleared off the line by one of the Seattle Reign’s defenders. Kansas City put the pressure on early and forced some big stops from the Reign’s defense and goalkeeper.

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The intensity picked up and there were 2 yellow cards given to 2 different Kansas City players around the 30-minute mark. Immediately following the cards, the Reign created a great scoring opportunity from a perfectly placed through ball into the forward, Tiffany Cameron. She was not able to convert the opportunity into a goal. The game goes into halftime with a 0-0 score-line. Throughout the first half, Michelle Betos had a couple of huge saves to Seattle Reign in the game.

The second half opened up and it seemed that the Seattle Reign midfield was moving the ball around a bit better than in the first half. In the 52nd minute, a Kansas City player found herself with her back turned away from the goal around the edge of the box and decided to take a shot. She hit a turning volley that floated awkwardly over the defense and almost into the net – the crossbar came to the rescue. A few minutes later, Merritt Mathias whipped in a driven cross and Kansas City hit in a hard shot. Betos saved it again, this time comfortably. The pressure from Kansas City climaxed in the 68th minute and they were able to score a goal. After a couple textbook wall passes, Becky Sauerbrunn passed it in perfectly into Renae Cuellar around the penalty area and she was able to rip it into the corner of the net.

After the goal the Reign really stepped up the pressure and came very close to scoring an equalizer in the last 10 minutes. Even with some very well put together attacks they were just not able to find the back of the net. It was an intense, hard fought game, but in the end FC Kansas City took home a well-deserved win.

Game of the Week (4/28): Here 4 Beer vs FC Drinkers

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This week’s Game of the Week featured FC Drinkers and Here 4 Beer of our Men’s C league on Wednesday nights. With two talented teams facing off, we were guaranteed a hard fought battle.

The game started off with high intensity and Here 4 Beer scoring quickly into the first period. With momentum and their adrenaline pumping they put another goal in the back of the net to have a solid lead. Fortunately for FC Drinkers, they found some energy and rhythm amongst themselves and found the back of the net in the fifth minute to bring the game back within reach. Both teams were able to hold possession of the ball nicely and create chances on goal. In the ninth minute of the game Tsutomu Ando had a lovely cut around a Here 4 Beer defender and slotted the ball to the back post to tie the game up for his team. A short two minutes later a FC Drinker player had a glorious step over to beat the Here 4 Beer defense and keeper to take the lead for his team. A quick counter attack and goal lead by Here 4 Beer brought the game back into a tie for the second time that night. In the eighteenth minute Tsutomu Ando chipped the ball over the defense and had a beautiful header goal to take the game to 4-3 in FC Drinkers favor. The game went into half time in favor of FC Drinker 4-3 over Here 4 Beer.

The second half started out with high intensity from both teams. Here 4 Beer wanted to get another goal to bring the game back within reach and FC Drinkers wanted to maintain their lead. FC Drinkers had many chances on goal throughout the second period. Marcus Chromy of Here 4 Beer kept them in the game with tremendous saves. In the ninth minute of the second period FC Drinkers hit a stinging shot low and hard to the corner, but Marcus Chromy sprawled out in a full dive to get finger tips on the ball and knock it wide, denying FC Drinkers of scoring. A short minute later Here 4 Beer had a free kick and they swung the ball nicely into the box, where FC Drinkers keeper had to come up with a big save to keep his team in the lead. There were no goals scored until the eighteenth minute of the second period when Colin Gierzak of Here 4 Beer dribbled the ball nicely, cut around a FC Drinker defensive player, and slotted the ball in the back of the net, bringing the ball back into a tie once again with a score of 4-4. But the game is not over until the referee blows the whistle and that was certainly the case tonight. With thirty seconds left Tsutomu Ando of FC Drinkers worked together with his team and ended up with the ball back at his feet, a sharp cut around Here 4 Beer, and a ripped shot that squeezed by the diving keeper put his team back in the lead with a score of 5-4. The last minute goal from FC Drinkers ended being the game-winning goal as shortly thereafter the whistle was blown to end the game. The match was heated and well contested throughout the whole game. Keep a watch on the league standings as we approach playoffs, one can expect these teams will continue their success into the playoff period.

Seattle Sounders Women vs. Seattle Pacific University

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The Sounders Women played Seattle Pacific University this evening. Fresh off a narrow 2-1 win last week against Seattle University, the Sounders women look determined to carry on the good performance.
The game started off slow with both teams trying to establish a rhythm and maintain possession of the ball. The first real exciting moment came in the 5th minute when Rachel Mercik made an excellent run down the left flank and delivered a cross in the middle of the box which was cleared by SPU’s defender. Merely a minute later, SPU had a very similar chance having a cross into the box cleared emphatically. Both teams worked the flanks very well early on with a series of intricate passes. In the 9th minute, the Sounders Women put a few passes together by the top of the box, the ball was eventually laid off nicely to an oncoming midfielder who shot it narrowly over the bar. The Sounders Women continued to pile on the pressure. In the 12thminute, Sarah Cambell exhibited some quick feet with a great pull back beating her player and threading a pass to the player making a run forward had her shot saved by the goalkeeper.
Seattle Pacific University responded well in the 17th minute from a throw in which was played down the line and crossed low into the box. SPU’s striker got a slight foot to it and the ball was calmly collected by the Sounders goalkeeper. The Sounders Women came knocking on the door again in the 19th minute when Millisa Busque shot a loose ball deflected off a defender just inches off the crossbar. In the 24th minute the Sounders women played an excellent give and go from the top of the box, beating her defender, but her shot was closed in on by the SPU secondary who came in rushing to cover. SPU’s best chance in the half came in the 26th minute when they worked the ball well down the flank, crossed it high into the box, which met a wide open striker who volleyed it just over the bar. SPU started to gain a rhythm and establish a presence late in the first half. In the 33rd minute, the Sounder Women defense looked depleted as a SPU player run pass the right back into the box with ease, cut the ball onto her right foot and shot a curler towards the outside of the goalkeeper who had to be at full stretch to palm the ball away. Soon after, in the 43rd minute, SPU continued to push forward with an excellent tackle by Alexa who won the ball in the middle of the field and distributed it to the outside of her striker. She dribbler and shot the ball towards the near post which was saved by the Sounders goalkeeper.
The first half ended 0-0.
The second half started full of promise with an early goal merely two minutes after play resumed. The ball was played in from the flank and found a wide open striker for an easy tap in goal. SPU’s goalkeeper was at full stretch but did not manage to get to the ball. The Sounders Women added another soon after from a series of crosses into the box leading to a goal-mouth struggle which landed conveniently at the feet of a Sounders player who made no mistake in kicking the ball into a wide open net. In the 68th minute, SPU’s goalkeeper was called into action once again and delivered an excellent finger tip save to knock the ball wide. SPU took courage, never gave up and kept on pushing. With 15 minutes left on the clock SPU had multiple attempts on goal parried and blocked by both the Sounders goalkeeper and defense that turned up big to prevent an impending goal.
SPU had another chance go begging in the 84th minute from a corner kick. Alexa stepped up for the kick and placed it neatly to the back post which was met by the head of a teammate but unfortunately it went wide. The Sounders Women topped off an excellent performance with a goal in the last minute of play with some excellent dribbling skills and a powerful low shot into the bottom right corner of the post, beyond the outstretched arm of the goalkeeper.
The Sounder Women won 3-0.

The Sounder Women provide much promise with a good performance here today. With the W League looming in the periphery, they Sounders Women are starting to work together well. They have two more friendly matches here before the season opener as they continue to work on an upward trajectory.

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Seattle Sounders Women vs. Seattle University

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Tonight the Sounders Women took on Seattle University in their second exhibition game. After a hard fought 1-0 loss against Oregon State the Sounders Women took on another tough college team.

The match started off at a fast pace. In the 6th minute there was some quick play around the box by the Sounders Women that led to a quick shot that went just over the bar. Just one minute later there was a great cross whipped in by Tafara Pulse of the Sounders Women. Sarah Cambell rose to meet the ball with a powerful header but the Seattle U’s keeper got a strong hand to it to knock it away. Sounders Women dominated the first 10 minutes of play. Seattle U had a few opportunities in the first half, including a 25-yard rip that was saved nicely. However, Sounders got the better of Seattle U offensively. It seemed every few minutes they were whipping in corner kicks.

In the 29th minute the Sounders Women found their first goal and it was a beautiful one. Melissa Busque dribbled the ball up the middle, keeping it almost attached to her foot, she did a few scissor moves to open up space for herself and then hit a left-footed laser into the bottom corner of the net. Seattle U was never able to convert on any of their chances, so the half ended with a 1-0 Sounders Women’s lead.

The 2nd half opened up and you could see the difference in play. The tempo of the game had increased and both teams were playing faster and harder. A few minutes in M’ily Reiter slotted a perfect through ball to Megan Lindsay, but the Seattle U keeper came out bravely and stopped it. This half was full of close calls. It seemed every play had the potential to produce a goal. From the 62nd to the 68th minute there were multiple goal scoring opportunities for both teams, including: a long-range shot from an SU midfielder that missed over the bar, a header that was cleared off the line by an SU defender, and a hard shot off the post for the Sounders.

With just around 6 minutes left Seattle University found their equalizer. Taylor Ritzman played a nice ball into the forward, Julia Moravec, and she turned beautifully around the Sounders defender and rifled it in the corner of the net. The play on the field intensified greatly after this. In the 89th minute a Seattle U defender had a simple trip up that would prove to be costly. The ball was played back to her in the center of the field about yards out and she tripped, letting the ball get away from her. Forward, Sarah Cambell, was right on her heels – she recovered the loose ball, dribbled it into the box, opened up her body and knocked it past the keeper calmly. The Sounders fans erupted in cheers. The final whistle blew a minute later and the game would end 2-1. It was an absolute thriller.

The Sounders have seen a lot of changes in their roster for this 2013 season. It is surprising to see how well they are beginning to click with each other. The midfield played as one cohesive unit tonight to really help get the win. However, Seattle University is no slouch team themselves. Their level of play is surprising; they could keep pace with just about any W-League team. We look forward to seeing both of these teams compete in their respective leagues.

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Sounders FC Reserves top San Jose Earthquake Reserves 2-1

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The Sounders FC Reserves played the San Jose Earthquake Reserves in an intense battle this evening. It didn’t take long before the San Jose’s Martinez ripped a shot over the bar early within the first five minutes. The Sounders Reserves responded swiftly with our very own Martinez who switched play excellently with a long ball across field which was controlled, shot on target and saved by San Jose’s goalkeeper. The next highlight came from San Jose’s striker Fucito who latched on to a cross with a powerful header which was saved by Marcus Hahnemann. The nerves on both teams eventually settled and the game started to develop a rhythm as both teams kept possession mainly in the middle of the field. The Sounders Reserves broke for a counter attack in the 20th minute with a long ball from the defense which Remick chased down but was parried by the goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, the crowd was left gasping when the Sounders Reserves worked with the ball really well at the top of the box, passed it wide to Remick who laid out a beautiful cross with was headed down and cleared to the feet of Martinez who took a laser shot which sailed over the post by inches. There were a few anxious moments for the Sounders fans when Fucito shot the ball over the bar from a header forward off a goal kick. Halftime ended with the score at 0 – 0.

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The second half commenced. Within 15 minutes of kickoff the Sounders Reserves were awarded a free kick in a promising position. Carrasco blasted a powerful to the top left corner but was denied by the outstretched arm of the goalkeeper who made an excellent save. The deadlock was finally broken when Lund connected with the ball which was played from center field to the wing, in the midst of confusion San Jose’s defender attempted to clear it rather acrobatically only to have it drop in his own net. After the goal, San Jose pressed on with a deeper intent, and kept the bulk of possession but failed to produce any promising chance. The Sounders were awarded a corner in the 70th minute. Estrada stepped up to take the corner which was headed towards goal, saved and rebounded generously to the feet of a Sounder player who tapped the ball in. Estrada continued to impress when he dribbled the ball into the box with a few stopovers and shot the ball low into the box but the goalkeeper parried it with ease. San Jose continued to press for the most part of the latter stages in the game, seeking to find a way back in the game. They were given a glimmer of hope in the dying seconds of the game when they managed to score off a corner kick. A San Jose player headed the ball powerfully towards goal off a corner which Marcus Hahnemann wasn’t able to grasp cleanly resulting in an easy tap in goal. San Jose continued to push forward seeking an equalizer knowing very well they didn’t have much if any time left. Their efforts did not however lead to a goal. The game ended 2-1 to the Sounders Reserves.

Game of the Week (4/21): Scrappy Dogs vs RazzMaTazz

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Our game of the week saw Scrappy Dogs and RazzMaTazz face off in Indoor Women’s O30 play.

It was clear from the get go that both teams were here to play. In the early minutes, strong defense on both sides kept the ball primarily in the middle of the field, preventing either team from any real scoring threat. As time went on, Scrappy Dogs found their rhythm, moving the ball around well, and slowly began to dominate possession.

The first goal-scoring opportunity came when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper fumbled a save that was picked up by Scrappy Dogs, but the forward would kick the ball wide of the goal. Not too long after, the Scrappy Dogs continued pressure paid off when Patti latched onto a ball kicked off the wall by her teammate to score. This goal started off a Scrappy Dogs run. They added a second moments after their first, and then a third resulting from some excellent passing between Stephanie and Vivian who eventually slotted it home. Scrappy Dogs added another from a long ball, which was played from defense, and then one more as Edie made an excellent run down the middle, passing if off to a teammate on her left who placed a neat cross to the center, which was then tapped into the net.

RazzMatazz never allowed the score to thwart their efforts, and they started to build a rhythm towards the end of the half. Their determination bore fruit when Sarah dribbled past a Scrappy Dogs player and found the back of the net. They finished off the half with another when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper instructed her players to move forward, subsequently kicking a beautiful long pass to Sarah who turned on her inside and landed a shot.

The first half ended 5-2.

As the second half commenced, Scrappy Dogs took control of the game once again, scoring early. But, RazzMaTazz eventually picked up the intensity. The team held possessions and were composed on the ball, launching a barrage of shots on goal. The opposing goalkeeper however, made one diving save after the other, denying them at seemingly every turn.

Mid-way through the second half the game was equally balanced, with both teams having possession and moving the ball around well, resulting in end to end action.  In the last third of the game, a Scrappy Dogs player was able to dribble past two defenders, used the wall for a teammate and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to extend their lead. Edie added another as a result of some good passing and an excellent turn and shot. Despite being down by a considerable score, RazzMaTazz continued to press on. They were awarded a free kick in the opponents half of the field. The ball was kicked off the wall to land perfectly in front of the RazzMaTazz striker who blasted it into the roof of the net. RazzMaTazz added another before the final whistle, thanks to a brilliant move by their striker who lobbed the ball over the defender while it was in the air, controlled it and took a powerful shot, which was initially saved but a failed stop allowed the ball to eventually crawl into the net.

The game ended 8-4 in favor of Scrappy Dogs.

Game of the Week (4/14): T-Birdz vs Blacked Out

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The Game of the Week comes from our 8v8 Co-ed league and features T-Birdz and Blacked Out.

Immediately you could see the skillfulness and competiveness from both sides, which always makes for a fun game to watch. Early on, neither team dominated possession, and there were back and forth individual battles all across the field.

Blacked Out opened up scoring midway through the first half. The forward coolly collected a bouncing ball into the box and put it away with ease. T-Birdz equalized minutes later when some nice passing around the top of the box led to a solid shot into the bottom corner of the net. Blacked out would take back the lead as their midfielder played a beautiful ball in to his forward who then created space for himself and hit it across his body into the far post’s side netting. Blacked Out would score once more to end the half up 3-1.

In the second half it would be T-Birdz who would score first off a great counter-attack starting with their goalie. After this goal, T-Birdz began to dominate and maintain possession in Blacked Out’s half of the field, connecting passes beautifully. However, with both keepers having amazing games, T-Birdz struggled to convert on their chances. With around 10 minutes left in the game, T-Birdz possession paid off as they found the back of the net to tie things up. Shortly after the tying goal, T-Birdz’ Vinny Nyguen took the ball up the field with a touch like Messi and ripped a shot off the outside of his foot and into the back of the net. With T-Birdz now up 4-3 with only a few minutes left, it was a tense ending as Blacked Out pushed to equalize. But in the end T-Birdz defense held strong to keep the lead.

After being down 3-1, the T-Birdz came back to win 4-3 in impressive fashion. The game was tense, full of talent, and an overall fun game to watch. We’re excited to see what the rest of our 8v8 league season has to offer.

Sounders Women vs. Oregon State University

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The Sounders Women took on Oregon State in a pre-season home opener tonight. The weather held, and it turned out to be a great sunny Sunday evening for soccer. The game kicked off as the drums from the Sounders fans were pounding in the background.

For the first 20 minutes the play was very back and forth and there was no real goal scoring opportunities for either side. The first goal of the game came in the 25th minute. After a few nice wall passes, Oregon State’s, Brandi Dawson, took the ball down the sideline to the corner and played the ball back to the top of the six-yard box where #5, Val Marqerum, placed it into the top of the net beautifully. In the 31st minute Sounders Women had a great opportunity resulting from crisp passing in the box, but a nicely timed tackled by the OSU defender stopped it. There were a couple more chances for the Sounders Women just before half-time, but unfortunately they were not able to capitalize on any of them. The Sounders Women trailed 1-0 at the half.

In the 2nd minute of the 2nd half, #19 for Sounders Women ripped a shot from the left side of the field, but it missed just wide of the post. 10 minutes later there was another opportunity for the Sounders Women but this time it missed just over the crossbar. At this point in the game, play started to pick up and it got a bit more physical. The match started to look less like a pre-season game and more like a heated playoff game. The Sounders fans picked up the volume as the game intensified. OSU was awarded a free kick in the 64th minute, but the keeper came out it bravely and saved it for the Sounders Women. The best chance for the Sounders women of the whole match came in the 75h minute when a gorgeous through ball was slotted in to M’ily Reiter. She got to the ball just a few yards from goal, but unfortunately so did the OSU keeper and after a hard collision the ball was deflected over to the sideline. Immediately after the almost goal, there was a flurry of opportunities for the Sounders Women. Unfortunately for them, Oregon State’s defense was solid and protected their lead. The game ended 1-0 for an Oregon State win.

Tonight’s home opener was competitive and full of exciting moments; both teams put on an excellent performance for the fans. The Sounders Women will face off with Seattle University on April 26th in their next game here at Starfire Sports.

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Game of the Week (4/7): Old Folks Home vs Panthers

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The game of the week comes to you from the Coed D indoor league.  With the Spring session in full swing, both teams came prepared for battle.

Early in the seventh minute the action started with the Old Folks Home working the ball up from the defensive third and challenging the Panthers Goalkeeper.  A ricocheted shot off the back wall led to a nicely executed volley, but the Panther defense denied them of a goal.  The first goal came from a quick counter-attack; Robley Jama of the Panthers found the back of the net after his teammate played him a perfectly weighted through ball to him in the eighth minute.  Old Folks Home responded well to the goal, and a short one minute later Jason Soper found the back of the net after skillfully dribbling around two defenders and slicing it past the last line of defense, the Panthers goalkeeper.  Old Folks home began to pick up the intensity, which lead to them scoring two more goals before halftime.  The game went into halftime with a score of 3-1 in favor of Old Folks Home.

The second half started off with passion and the Panthers were solid in the defensive third.  The Panthers goalkeeper had multiple phenomenal saves.  He acted as an unbreakable brick wall in front of the net stopping three shots in a row.  In the twelfth minute Old Folks Home had a free kick 18 yards out, the first attempt on goal was denied, but the rebound was slotted back post to take the score to 4-1.  A short thirty seconds later, the Panthers found themselves in a quick counter-attack.  A lovely shot, slotted to the back post, sixteen yards out brought the game back within reach for the Panthers.  With four minutes remaining the Old Folks had two successful wall passes to move the ball up the field and beautifully put the ball in the back of the net to clench, what would be the game winner.  With a lot of time left in the season, one can be sure that the Panthers will find chemistry within their team and that the Old Folks Home will see continued success.