SB Nation - Stephanie Cox

Sounders Women Start Renewing Season Tickets

soundermom — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:00:06 -0000

The season tickets for next season's Seattle Sounders Women are going on sale for the current STH's this week. Watch your email for the details. The remaining tickets will go on sale to the public on September 22^nd. This brought up questions for me and my fellow fans. What of the new pro team? What if the new team somehow works a deal to become the Sounders Women pro team, while the current incarnation of the SSW become the academy type team? People just don't have the disposable income to support so many teams. I know that I for one, cannot go to both womens' team games, and the Seattle Sounders FC games.

My plan is to support the current SSW team. I will be renewing my season tickets with them. Here's my reasoning behind this: I feel that the new pro team is a Johnny-come-lately that is trying to bust in on a good thing. Last season was the first and only season that the SSW were selling out virtually every home game. Of course, the signings of the USWNT members helped fill the seats initially, but it's the quality of the team as a whole that kept the seats filled even at the end of the season.

When I traveled to the away games for the SSW, I was shocked to see such small crowds after being at all of the crazy home games at Starfire. I just don't see how a pro team is going to survive outside a certain few markets. The fans just aren't showing up and shelling out the money. I don't plan on jumping ship as a STH just because there may be a shiny new ship to look at. I am staying the course with the SSW and SSFC, and am hopeful that you will too.

I am not planning on seeing the same team, no USWNT stars here. They will undoubtedly go where the money is. That may be a foreign country, or the East coast. Perhaps Alex Morgan will stay in Seattle, along with Stephanie Cox and Hope Solo, because they call this area home. I figure that they will end up on the pro team. One could hope that they will stay with the SSW though, and grow the game from the ground up so to speak. I hope that the current coaching staff will be staying the course with the SSW as well. Michelle French made a huge difference in the level of play.

Speaking of coaching, and making a difference... I am sad to see Pia Sundhage move on from coaching the USWNT. I am sure that they are searching for a quality replacement, but it will be hard to fill those shoes. At least from the outside looking in, it appeared that she helped bring the joy back to the game for those players. She calmed the egos, and allowed it to become a beautiful game again. Her final two games are fast approaching. The USWNT are currently on a National tour that will continue on even after Pia has moved on. The next game is on September 16, 2012 against the Australian Matilda's. It will take place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California at 12:30pm. It will be shown on NBC. Pia's final game will also be against the Matilda's. It will be at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on September 19, 2012. Game time is 7:00pm, and it will be shown on ESPN2 and ESPN3. I am happy for Coach Pia, because she gets to fulfill her dream of coaching the Sweden National team for the money that she deserves. It's our loss.

The USWNT will face Germany on October 20, 2012 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL and then again on October 23^rd at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT with a new coach at the helm. There is a rumor that the tour will also hit Portland, OR, but that is not confirmed. If you are in the area of one of these games, go. You will not be disappointed.

If you have the money, support the SSW and purchase season tickets. They are saying that there will be more home games this season. If you are so inclined, and have the means, then support the new Pro team as well. I think that we can all agree that the women deserve a pro league here in the states that will allow them to make a living wage at their chosen profession. I think too, that we can agree that the USWNT will be helped by having a top tier league in this country to help the USWNT members stay in game shape in between exhibition and cup matches. Let's hope that the powers that be can come up with a solution that will benefit all of us (fans, players and country), and will be sustainable.

Pali Blues Beat Sounders Women to Move on to Semi’s

soundermom — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:00:07 -0000

The Sounder Women fought hard, but a mistake on a set piece was their downfall. The better team is moving on to the semifinals in Ottawa. Pali remains undefeated in their season. The only other team in the league that remains undefeated is DC United. They have also downed their opponent today to move on to Ottawa.

The lone goal of the Western Conference Championship was scored by Williams from a corner kick in the 63rd minute. Most of the Sounder defenders felt there was a foul on the keeper and stopped playing. This is another good lesson to play until the whistle. No foul was called and the goal stood. Megan Kufeld was good in goal for the Sounders, and that goal was on her defenders for not playing.

The game had a different feel to it than the previous two matches against the Pali Blues. The Sounders mounted more offense, especially in the first half. They maintained possession in the attacking half for longer periods in this match. They also wasted a lot of long balls that weren’t to anyone in particular. Pali was able to scoop those loose balls up and restart their attack. With the placement of Kate Deines in the holding mid position, more headers were won in the middle for the Sounders, which allowed for more play through the middle. This was a much more enjoyable match to watch, as the action was more even, and more end to end. It was never clear that the Sounders would lose until the last five or so minutes. They looked gassed on the wings, and the subs came on with too little time left to really impact the game.

It was a disappointing loss to end the Sounders’ season. That said, the Sounders had a fantastic season this year. They thrived with all of the fan support at home games. Perhaps that support would have made a difference for them in this game. We will never know.

What we do know is that the Sounders Women will be back in some capacity next season. The powers that be in women’s soccer are trying to create a new pro league for the 2013 season. Where the Sounders will fall in that new plan has yet to be seen. Once I know, I will certainly share that information here. Another unknown for the 2013 season is where the USWNT members will be playing. This season was unique in that they needed a place to get games under their belts and we had space for them, and a willingness to allow for their restrictions. I would expect to see Stephanie Cox back, since she calls Gig Harbor home, but other than that only time will tell.

This Sounders team has shown that they don’t need the national teamers to have success. They have shown that they can play with the best teams in this league and compete. I have spoken with Kate Deines, and she allowed that she and Veronica Perez would like to come back to the Sounders after their adventure on a team in Iceland this winter. I doubt that Megan Manthey will be back next season, since she has signed with a French team. I know that Kelli Smith will not be returning next season. She has taken a coaching position in Utah. As far as the remaining players, we shall see. I do hope that the fans will return and perhaps multiply next season, with or without the national team players. These games are quality games, and the cost to go, is very reasonable.

As a fan, I would like to thank the Sounders Women for thoroughly entertaining me this season. This was my first season of watching them in person. I knew they existed, but had no idea that they were as good as they are. I would like to thank them for reminding me how much I enjoy the women’s version of soccer. When I looked at all of the little kids in the stands, it reminded me that there are still dreamers out there that have the desire to grow this beautiful game. They are the next Hope Solo’s, Alex Morgan’s and Megan Rapinoe’s. We are fortunate to have a high quality program for them to reach for locally.

Next up, the London Olympics. The USWNT face the French on Wednesday at 9:00am. It will be on NBC Sports Network which should be a familiar station to MLS fans.. They are in Group B, which includes France, Korea DPR (July 31st at 9:15am), and Colombia (July 28th at 9:00am). The quarter finals will be on August 3rd, and the semifinals are August 6th. The Gold medal match is on August 9th. Fitness is going to play a key roll in this tournament, and the USWNT should have a leg up in that area.

Good season Sounders Women! Thanks for leaving it all out there on the pitch. Spread the word fans, next season the Sounders are coming!

Sounders Women Top the Rush 4-1

soundermom — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:00:23 -0000

Sunday’s game was a much more fun to listen. Yes, the games are on radio now. The Colorado weather cooled off a bit for this game. With a strong breeze and cloud cover, the Sounders were able to play without melting like they did on Saturday. With Keelin Winters jetting off to start the next stage of her soccer career in Germany, the midfield took on more of a box shape for this game. Katie Hultin got the start again in goal. Kelli Smith, Kate Deines, Stephanie Cox, and Annie Sittauer formed the back line. Lyndsay Elston and Julia Roberts got the start as the holding midfielders, while Sophie Reiser and Veronica Perez played just in front of them. The two forwards were Allie Beahan and Victoria Frederick. Big shout out to the Jet City Aux for singing, drumming and bringing the Seattle touch to the game, clearly they are the best supporters in the W-League.

The scoring started off in the 9th minute with Veronica Perez’s first goal of the afternoon. The assist goes to Annie Sittauer. Sittauer passed across the box, and the Rush keeper, Megan McCain couldn’t handle the ball. Veronica was there to clean it up for the first goal. She very nearly picked up her second goal less than five minutes later, but it hit the post and bounced into McCains’ hands.

The Rush were not going to go down without a fight, and scored the equalizer on somewhat of a bicycle kick from a corner in the 18th minute. Hultin didn’t really have a chance on that one. Danica Evans scored her fourth goal of the season for the Rush.

In the 25th minute, Perez was in the hunt again, but McCain was up to the challenge. In the 30th minute, Lyndsay Elston took a shot from about 25 yards out, but again McCain handled it easily. The Sounders kept the pressure on, peppering the goal with shots every few minutes. The Rush were allowed to counter a few hair raising times, but Katie Hultin was able to keep the ball out. In the 40th minute, Sophie Reiser was taken down by the keeper, and was granted a penalty kick. Perez stepped up and took the PK, which was initially saved by McCain’s feet, but Veronica followed her own shot and smacked it in for her second goal of the match.

In the 52nd minute, Lyndsey Patterson crossed the ball to Veronica Perez for her third goal of the match. This is her second hat trick of the season. Saturda, Perez was slowed by a nasal infection and the heat. No problem with that Sunday. In the 54th minute, Allie Beahan slid behind their backline and took a nice shot on goal. It bounced off the left post. The Sounders continued to dominate the majority of the game.

In the 74th minute, Lyndsay Patterson got her second assist of the game by flicking it on to the far post to Megan Manthey. That was Megan’s third goal of the season. Veronica Perez started that play by making a great run and cross to Patterson. I like it when she feels good.

The game was closed out with a nasty shot on goal in the 87th minute by the Rush’s Danica Evans but Katie Hultin laid out and made the outstanding fingertip save. The Rush harassed Hultin’s goal in the final few minutes without success, including having McCain run into the Sounder’s box for a last ditch full press corner kick. The Sounders picked up a very important three points to solidify their second place in the Western Conference.

Next up for the Sounders Women is a home match against the Victoria Highlanders at Starfire. Match time is 7:00pm. You can purchase tickets at SoundersWomen.com h ere. You can also find game day links to the radio/video feeds of the game on the Sounders Women website. Follow along with a live game thread on SounderAtHeart.com as well. This is the final home match of the season. If they manage to hold onto second place at the end of the season, they will face the number one team (Pali Blues undoubtedly), in a one game playoff match. If they win that match, the Sounders would be off to Ottawa for the finals.

Sounders Women Face Two in Colorado

soundermom — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 22:30:13 -0000

This is a fantabulous female footy weekend. It starts Saturday morning with the USWNT facing Canada in a friendly at Rio Tinto in Sandy, Utah at 11:00am. This is the final game prior to the US team heading to the London Olympics. Rapinoe, Morgan, Solo and Leroux will be facing a team that they beat 4-0 in Vancouver this past winter. Canada will not go down easy, as they are gearing up to face a tough table in the Olympics. This game will be broadcast nationally on NBC starting at 10:30am.

The Sounders Women are on their first significant road trip of the season. They will be facing the Colorado Rapids at 5:30 on Saturday, and the Colorado Rush on Sunday at noon. SSW beat the Rapids at home 3-0. It was a bruising game, with Alex Morgan leading the charge with a goal and an assist. This is also the game that Stephanie Cox scored on a free kick in the second half. With Morgan out for National Team duties, it will fall to Veronica Perez and Lyndsey Patterson to fill in. We will also be missing Keelin Winters in the middle. She flies out to Germany on July 1, to start her professional career over there. She will be greatly missed in the middle. Smitty may make a return to the Sounders Women on these away games. I know the team was trying to arrange for her to catch up to the team from her new home in Utah.

The second match of the weekend is against the powerful Colorado Rush. This team’s size posed a problem for the Sounders in the last game. The SSW limped away with a 2-1 victory, but it could have easily been reversed. With goals from Manthey and Perez in that game, it would seem that we still have the pieces in place to win this game. We do, but the USWNT members drew the pressure, and set up the goals in that game. The Rush were particularly physical with Alex Morgan the entire game. I expect that pressure to transfer to our front line equally. Perhaps closing Veronica down.

These are winnable games for sure, if we can finish our chances. Every game has playoff implications, in such a compressed season, every match matters.

Our next home match is against the Victoria Highlanders on July 6th, at 7:00pm. You can purchase tickets at the Sounders Women site here. You can also find match day links to listen to the Colorado games there, and to find the home game video link on Friday. We will also be doing a game thread from the home match here at Sounder At Heart. All remaining games will be broadcast on Seattle’s 1150AM KKNW radio station. You can find the stream here if you are not in the Seattle area.

Whitecaps Seek Revenge Tonight

soundermom — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 21:00:19 -0000

Amidst all of this Euro 2012, the Supplemental draft, and the Open Cup, the Sounders Women game tonight could easily be overlooked. Please, don't succumb to the temptation to stay in the warm climes of home. Venture out to Starfire and cheer on the Women to their second victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. The gates open 90 minutes prior to the game, which starts at 7:00. The grandstands are sold out, and the bleachers are about 80% sold. Let's get that up to 100% for the Starfire stadium. You can purchase tickets through the Sounders Women site here, or at the gate. You can purchase tickets from the website up to four hours prior to the gate opening. I am anticipating several 'Cap fans to make the trip down, so I wouldn't wait too long to get your tickets. As an aside, I am assured that the stadium music will be turned down a little, for the comfort of those in the grandstands not wanting to suffer hearing loss.

The four Olympic players will of course not be in our lineup. Kelli Smith will be back in the lineup, after a much deserved rest. Stephanie Cox and Keelin Winters will also be on the field. We are going to need them. Last time we faced the 'Caps, they did not have their contingent of National Team players. I don't know how many of them will travel with the team to this game. If they do travel, it will make this game even more challenging. In our last game, it was goals from Megan Manthey and Veronica Perez that won the game. Look for them again tonight. Veronica was named to the W-League first team for last week, see the full article here. She has continued to be a force in the middle for us.

Kara Kuttler will also have another chance to frustrate the 'Caps back line. She was impressive in our last game. Victoria Frederick and Lyndsey Patterson should also see playing time. Katie Hultin will be our net minder. She has proven to be the calm force that we need back there.

The Whitecaps played to a tie in their last game, facing the Colorado Rapids. Their only tally came from a PK taken by the always dangerous Mele French. She finished the night with 3 shots. Paige Adams and Marissa Mykines both had two shots each, and when Brandi Vega came in off the bench she fired three shots. So it isn't a lack of getting into dangerous spots, it's just finishing. Our back line will be busy, and Katie will once again be asked to hold strong.

I'm sure there will be a game thread for those who wish to chat along with the game. The game will be streamed live through the Sounders Women website. You can also follow my twitter feed during the game if that's your preference.

Sounders Women Face the Rapids

soundermom — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:00:22 -0000

The Sounders Women are 3-0 thus far, and the Colorado Rapids are 2-1. The Rapids just played a tough match against the Victoria Higlanders, which ended in a tie. So why should you come to tonight's game? Because the Sounders are playing the Rapids... and we don't much like teams by that name, do we? Not that we fans hold grudges or anything.

The last home game was yet another sellout. It would be nice to keep that trend going. This will also be the last game that the National Team members play in for a while. They leave for camp tomorrow. The dates of their return are unknown at this point. But, never fear, our team is very solid without them.

We still have Veronica Perez and Megan Manthey scoring goals, and making games exciting. We should still have Stephanie Cox and Keelin Winters (at least until Keelin heads off to her German team). We also have several women with National team experience on one level or another. This is not a team that will just roll over once the National Team members are off to the Olympics. The brand of footy that they play is very exciting, and our keeper Katie Hultin is certainly capable of cleaning up what slips through our back line.

So grab your rain gear, bring your kids. You can get tickets for the 7:30 game tonight, or this Friday's game against the Whitecaps at the Sounders Women website here. Or you can purchase tickets at the gate. It's gonna be a good one. If you can't make it, you can watch it live, via the Sounders Women website. Scarves up!

Sounders Women Face Division Leading Colorado Rush In Home Opener

soundermom — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:01:13 -0000

Sunday’s game against the Vancouver Whitecaps was not the test that we expected. It was a tough match to be sure, but Vancouver is struggling to gel as a team. I’m sure that they will recover their stride, and climb back up from their current location near the bottom of the division. Our home opener will be against the division leader.

The Colorado Rush have a mix of very young players, who like to shoot from outside the box. They have played four players age 18 or younger, and have three more at age 19. The Rush have experience on their side though, in spite of the youngsters. Watch for Danica Evans, who wears number 22. She has two goals so far this season, both game winners. Their captain, Brittany Bock (#11 for the Rush), also has two on the season so far. She is a former Western New York Flash player from the now defunct WPS. They have never started a season with three wins, and they will be anxious to go to four.

We should have the National Team players back from their win over China on Sunday. There is still no official word on Stephanie Cox’s status with the Sounders, but I believe that she will remain with the Sounders. She is being allowed time to consider her options after not making the 18 member Olympic squad. Keelin Winters had already signed with a team in Germany, and will be leaving as planned prior to being called into camp with the USWNT.

As shown in Sunday’s game against Vancouver, we don’t have to rely on our National Team players to do it all. Veronica Perez has a goal in each match so far this season. She is the leader of this team when the National Team members are away. We also got a goal from Megan Manthey, who has been playing in Denmark for the past few years, and seems to finally be getting her legs under her. Our keeper Katie Hultin was stellar in goal on Sunday, and brings confidence to the back line when Hope Solo is out.

Victoria Frederick was named to the W-League team of the week for her assist on the game winning goal against the Whitecaps. Look for her to continue to earn playing time on the back line, and to push forward to help on offense.

This team is solid, and should stand the test of this strong Colorado Rush. It will be a fantastic game, with end to end action, and a lot of shots on both goals. In the beginning of the season, this is the team that the Sounders called out as their toughest foe. As fans, let’s get out there and help lift our Sounders Women to another victory on their road to the playoffs. There are still a few tickets for this match, get them through the Sounders Women site, here. Or you can chance it, and try to buy tickets at the gate.

Sounders Women Sign Kelli Smith

soundermom — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:00:35 -0000

Kelli Smith (Smitty to her teammates), is no stranger to the Sounders Women. She has played for them for a span of seven years. She started while still a standout player at the University of Washington. While stook 2011 off, to concentrate on coaching her club teams, the draw of the top quality team made it too hard to refuse coming back for a final year.

She was also excited to learn under former teammate, Coach Michelle French.

"Frenchie being the coach was definitely a huge pull. I knew what kind of atmosphere she was going to create. It was really too good to pass up; playing with Hope again, I played with Hope in college."

Also getting to play with the rest of the National Team players, the youth national team players and fellow UW alum Veronica Perez, made it impossible to stay away.

Coach French says that "Kelli brings a necessary element of energy, excitement, grit, and skill to the back-line."

She is known for her ability to read the entire field of play. She anticipates the play of the ball, and is able to shut down the opposing offense effectively. She claims to still be learning the game, especially the positioning techniques of Stephanie Cox and Hope Solo in the back, but she is one of the most complete players on the squad. What she lacks in height at 5’1″, she makes up in intelligence, passion and ferocity. This speedy central defender knows what she’s doing out there.

Kelli notes the intensity of the current incarnation of the Sounders Women as the biggest difference between the Sounders of old and new. Kelli says that they recognize that while the National Team players have initially brought the fans to the stadium, it’s the core players that are going to keep them coming back. It’s the core players that are going to be fighting to break into the final four. She’s proud to be one of those "core" players. "I think what they (the National Team players), have brought to our team, which will continue even when they’re gone, is just the level of intensity in training. And the feeling of what our job is."

"I think we’ve really recognized how big of a difference we’re making in the soccer community, and that we’ve really opened up people’s eyes. We really want to put a good product in front of them."

She and Kate Deines are learning new positions. Kelli is a former outside back, and Kate is a former center midfielder. They are learning to play alongside one another though. They are figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of one another, and are capitalizing on those. They know that Kate can go up and win the air balls, and Kelli can clean up behind her. They have played with one another for a few years, so they understand how each other thinks, and what to expect. That has made their transitions a little easier. It will be fun to watch them both grow into their positions this season.

When asked about playing in front of so many fans, she noted that it’s a stark contrast to the former Sounders Women teams. She said that before this season, the fans were hard to come by, and half of the people in the stands were friends or family. She said that the former "crowd" was more quiet and sullen. "It’s a pretty unbelievable experience to play in front of this many people." She loves the energy of the Jet City Auxiliary before the games, and during the breaks in play. "You feed off of it, you feel it during the game. It’s been pretty amazing." She says that the crowd response to strong plays, or goals just keeps the energy level high for the team. "It’s Seattle, and how much they love soccer, it’s what makes it so awesome."

When asked if she thinks the Sounders Women will continue to grow in the seasons to come, she says yes emphatically. She believes that with the quality of the players, the coaching level, and the outpouring of fan support, there will be plenty of new, talented players waiting in the wings to don the Rave Green. "I really can’t see it slowing down, I think it’s only going to get better."

The next home game for the Sounders Women is May 31st at 7:00pm against the Colorado Rush. They will start off the season at the Vancouver Whitecaps, on May 27th. The tickets are selling fast, so click here to purchase yours now. To learn the songs and chants of the Jet City Auxiliary, or to join the supporters club, click here.

Keelin Winters Called To USWNT

soundermom — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:31:16 -0000

Coach Pia Sundhage has named 27 players for a training camp being held in Bradenton, FL. This camp will take place from April 18th to the 30th. That does impact all of the Seattle Sounders Women who are on the USWNT, as well as a new call up for Keelin Winters. Not only will this serve as an intense training time, with no games attached, but it will also serve as an evaluation time for Coach Pia. She must trim the roster to only 18 players for the Olympics. There are several excellent players that may find themselves left off the London roster, simply because there are too many talented players and not all can go.

According to the US press release this camp will be intense.

It’s a camp where we do a lot of training, fight through it and see how hard we are working," said U.S. midfielder Shannon Boxx. "We don’t have to taper for a game during this camp so we can do a lot more double days and spend some more hours on the field. We know we are going to feel tired at times, but this is a great chance to push ourselves and get more fit, as well. This camp will be about mentality, about improving fitness and having the time to work on specific things to continue to build our team.

This call up for Keelin is her 5^th time trying out for the full team. This is the first time that she has been invited so close to a major international tournament. According to the Sounders press release, Keelin stated that the game is much faster at that level.

In November, my first camp with the national team, I experienced how much your game has to rise," Winters said. "It’s a whole ‘nother level. My game rose to a level that I’ve never experienced. The speed of play is so much faster.

This has been a busy couple of weeks for Keelin. She had just returned from Germany the night before the last exhibition game against Seattle University. Even severely jet lagged, she managed to score a goal. She has signed with the German Bundesliga, and will be leaving the Sounders prior to the Olympics. Her contract starts on July 1, 2012. Keelin is a dominant midfield player, and she should do well in the German league. Her decision making is only going to get better. Last year she won the WPS Rookie of the Year. She says that the rest of the USWNT is excited about the amount of fans turning out for the Sounders Women games so far.

"All the girls here (with the USWNT) are asking how the game went," Winters said just an hour before the first practice in Florida. "It’s cool to tell people here that we had 4,000 plus for just exhibition matches… 4,000 is above average attendance at WPS, so all the girls are a little surprised and excited for what it means for women’s soccer that we are getting these fairly big crowds out to watch."

There is also a three-team tournament in Sweden in June. Sweden will be playing the USWNT on June 16th, and the USWNT will be facing Japan once again on June 18th. This has not been confirmed on the US website, but it is on the Swedish site, so we'll go with it.

The US will face China in Pennsylvania on May 27th (purchase tickets here), and Canada on June 30th at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah(purchase tickets here). The June 30th game is being called the team’s "send off" which I am interpreting to mean that the Sounders will not see those team members again this summer unless they are left off the list of 18.

The 27 players called up are as follows:

GOALKEEPERS (4):Nicole Barnhart, Ashlyn Harris, Jill Loyden, Hope Solo
DEFENDERS (9): Rachel Buehler, Stephanie Cox, Whitney Engen, Meghan Klingenberg, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn
MIDFIELDERS (9): Shannon Boxx, Tobin Heath, Lori Lindsey, Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe, Amy Rodriguez, Keelin Winters
FORWARDS (5): Lauren Cheney, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Christen Press, Abby Wambach

Recap: Sounders Women Stretch Legs in 5-0 Win Over SPU

sidereal — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:25:01 -0000

On the way out of the main stand of Starfire tonight I caught a glimpse of Sounders Women GM Amy Carnell, and she looked delighted. It's easy to understand why. Though we never got official attendance numbers, the stadium was clearly at capacity, with the stands on both sides of the field full and more people spilling onto the surrounding grassy hills or watching from behind fences. It was all the more impressive when you consider that this was an early preseason game on a Monday night against a college team. For a team that last year drew 6-700 per game. And the crowd was in full voice, with the ECS Lady's Aux taking the reins as supporters group (with drum and flags) and a crowd clearly familiar with the Sounders gameday experience.

Between the lines, things turned out just as well. The Sounders showed all the signs of a team still learning to play together, with plenty of missed connections and wayward crosses, but even so the team clearly outclassed the opposition and was in control of the match from the opening whistle.

It's one of the quirks of soccer that when the team was completely dominating through the first 70-plus minutes, they only managed two goals, but after Alex Morgan came off and the number of chances died down, they scored three more in the final 15 minutes.

The team easily could have had 3 or 4 more goals in that first three quarters with Morgan on the field. It would be hard to overstate how much she dominates the play when she's around the ball. Her ball control and footwork make marking her one-on-one basically impossible. She can find space for a shot whenever she wants it. And she was one of if not the fastest player on the field. And one of the tallest. And one of the strongest. So she combined with Sydney Leroux in the first half to create chance after chance. But only two went in — a shot by Morgan that was deflected in by Lyndsey Patterson and a beautiful pass from Leroux to set up Morgan for a perfectly placed roller into the far post.

The second half saw the introduction of Isabel Farrell, a surprise addition to the Sounders Women, but one with a serious resume. She's a high school senior who's already played for multiple youth national teams and will be joining the UW this fall. And Seattle continued to dominate possession and chances, but without the end result.

Morgan subbed out at around the 60th minute and Seattle started getting fewer chances in the box, but about 10 minutes later Husky alum and Mexican national player Veronica Perez launched a 20 yard shot into the SPU goal and it was 3-0. That opened the floodgates and Seattle scored the 4th a few minutes later where Kara Kuttler knocked in a rebound off of a Leroux shot. And the 5th came 10 minutes later from Victoria Frederick, a few minutes after Hope Solo was subbed off to roaring applause.

Solo was much appreciated, but she had little to do. I was reminded of national team games against some of the smaller CONCACAF nations, where Solo's main job is to organize the team and stay focused through 10 or 15 minute periods of not touching the ball. Fellow national team player Stephanie Cox helped to keep her bored with solid defensive play at left back.

And I would be remiss in not pointing out some impressive play from the SPU Falcons. Megan Lindsey is a tall, skilled forward and she won a few duels with Seattle defenders. What chances SPU did have usually came through her. And even more impressive was Sophomore keeper Natalie Harold, who came on in the second half. At only 5'3" she's small for the position, but after watching her play you can see why no one would dissuade her from keeping goal. She had tremendous reflexes and athleticism and if it weren't for a series of saves the Falcons could have easily given up 3 or 4 more goals in the half.

In the end a big win over a Division 2 college side wouldn't mean much by itself. But this one meant something, both for the display the crowd put on to demonstrate that this region is able and deserving of the chance to support a pro women's soccer team, and for the display on the pitch of some of the greatest female players in the world, who now play in the Rave Green.