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.
