Sounders Women 1:1 Colorado Force

Well, for some good news: with tonight's draw with the Force, the ladies jump to the top of the table with 1 pt on the season.  The bad news, it will not hold through the weekend as the Force travel up to Vancouver Sunday.  We'll have a chance to reclaim it next weekend in Colorado before the rest of the Western Conference starts up play on the 5th.

Thanks to all who came out.  It was a fun night heckling our beloved Maria, picking on Jamaicans and French alike, and supporting our girls.

I'll link match reports and photos as they become available.  Also, stay tuned for some player interviews and other fun items over the long road stretch in June.

In the meantime, it's a great weekend for football: USA v Turkey, Sounders FC @ Colorado Rapids, and plenty more!

See you in the terrace!

GAMEDAY!

The 2010 W-League Season is finally upon us! 
At 7:00 tonight the Lady Sounders take on an improved Colorado Force side.

ECS: Get there early and take advantage of a 20% discount on food & drink at MAD Pizza!

For those of you who can't make it, subscribe to this blog for match updates.

Video highlights from the preseason game against UW:
PRESEASON: Sounders Women 1:0 Washington Huskies

Official Sounders Women Match Preview here:
Sounders Women Start 2010 Championship Hunt after Down Year in 2009

The Force have bolstered their roster with some international talent.  More info here:
Colorado Finalizes Roster

Sounders Women at ECS Away Viewing THIS WEEKEND!

A few of the Lady Sounders will make the trip up to Atlantic Crossing (21+) to join up with ECS and root on SSFC as they take on the NY Red Bulls on Saturday.

If you'd like to meet the girls, learn more about the team, and maybe even buy one a drink or two, here's your first opportunity this season.

With the season opener (May 28) still over two weeks away, this will be the first of a few events promoting the girls.

For more information about the viewing, check out the ECS Forums.

Kickoff is at 4:30pm, get there early to ensure a seat or place at the bar.

Atlantic Crossing.

6508 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98115 (206) 729-6266

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to the ladies who redefine 'Soccer Mom':
Erin Redwine, Justi Baumgardt, and Niki (Ironside) Bonnell!

...and to all the other moms out there as well!

Match Reports

Here's the official report from the Sounders Women's FO:
Sounders Finish Exhibition Season with High Quality Win

From the Seattle Soccer Examiner:
Sounders Women edge Washington Huskies 1:0 in final pre-season match

Sounders 1:0 Huskies. FULL TiME.

GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!! M'ily Reiter nets a rebound off a corner in the 64th min. SSW 1:0 uw

Sounders 0:0 Huskies. HALF. Our girls are controlling the run of play but haven't netted one of their many strong chances.

The AUX featured on Seattle Soccer Examiner

The ECS Ladies' Auxiliary was featured at the Seattle Soccer Examiner today:

Ladies' Auxiliary: The Aux is pulling for Sounders Women, who face Huskies tonight at Starfire

OSU Recap, Mini-Apple Cups, & TV

OSU RECAP
As a spectator, a 0:3 drubbing rarely leaves you with much positive thought. That being said, there was a lot to take from the match Sunday.

For one, our ladies created a lot of solid opportunities. Headers flew just inches over the bar and there were several shots on target, saved by the very capable OSU keeper.

Center-mid Tafara Pulse agreed with a positive outlook on the match, "Overall, we had some good possession, we had a couple good chances that we didn't finish. We just need to continue to work on our patience."

Oregon State brought their traditional physical game, a characteristic not foreign to the Sounders ladies with Pac-10 experience. It was great to see the girls' battle back against some rough play and loose officiating. Rather than flop & dive, our girls adapted to the situation and continued to attack and battle through some tough challenges.

Our girls got out of the battle with only some minor injuries. The most notable coming early in the second half when Outside Back Beth Drollinger left the game with an unknown injury. After some tending to by the training staff, she sat the remainder of the game but seemed to be in good spirits. I'll dig for an update on her condition.

Thursday night's matchup with the Huskies of Montlake will likely be another physical affair. The Huskies are wrapping up a Spring season that opened with a drab scoreless draw at home against SPU. That was a rather shocking result, considering the Huskies were coming off a competitive second round of the NCAA Tournament where they only fell after a competitive battle against the home-side and national powerhouse Portland Pilots.

MINI-APPLE CUPS:
There are a pair of Cougs roaming the Sounders Side who will have a spring in their step Thursday. Forward Brooke Bemis & keeper Katie Hultin. Hultin loves heated, physical games and can't wait for this matchup.

Former Sounder and Coug Defender, Niki (Ironside) Bonnell had this to say about facing the Dawgs as a Coug Alum:

"This is our Apple Cup. Anytime you get to face the Huskies, whether you're wearing the Crimson & Grey or Blue & White, you get up for the match. It's always going to be more meaningful; the rivalry runs deep inside of you. Elbows tend to swing a bit higher and the tackles are a bit more aggressive. It is always a really fun game."

TV:
The game will also be aired on Comcast On-Demand. Whether you can make it to Starfire Thursday night or not, be sure to check out the game on Comcast. Decent viewership will certainly lead to more televised games and will only be another step toward bringing Seattle a WPS side.

Allison Tenney's Collar Bone Broken

Its official: Allison Tenney broke her collarbone in Thursday's preseason win at SPU. Out 8 weeks, but vows quick recovery.

Story at David Falk's Seattle Soccer Examiner:
Seattle Soccer Examiner

OSU 3:0 Sounders Women.  FINAL

SPU recap & OSU preview...

The first preseason home game for the Lady Sounders will be at 1pm Sunday, April 2nd, on Starfire Field #11.  Admission is to cost $1.  Be sure to bring your own chairs, as Field #11 has no spectator seating.

This game presents a unique opportunity as a fan/supporter.  Being played on Field #11, the Sounders Men's practice field, this will be the first chance for many a Sounder Supporter to cross through the beautiful gates of the world-class Starfire practice facility onto the fine, full-sized 120yd pitch.  This game will be about as intimate as imaginable.  Those of you seeking an old school feel to the game, this is your chance (on an artificial surface).  Fans will line the field and better be ready to collect errant passes, strong clearances, and chide the opponent from mere meters away!

Oregon State made a run to the Sweet-16 in the NCAA Tourney last season and is coming off of a tough 0-1 decision to the National Team's U-23 side.  In that game, the Beavers fought hard and had many scoring chances.  They are a team that is very aggressive in the opening minutes of the game, so our ladies may find themselves on their heels for a few minutes to start.

OSU plays Saturday afternoon at Interbay against SPU.  It's a 3pm start for those of you interested in a preview of tomorrow's action.

If our game with the Beavers is to be anything like Thursday night's battle against SPU, we can expect a pressing Sounders side.  The ladies were relentless in their attack and well rewarded for their efforts.  Some early sloppy play was expected but the girls cleaned it up quickly and found their pace.

Without Michelle French, a former National Team player, at the holding midfielder position, the Sounders had a decidedly new look.  Tafara Pulse stepped into the role nicely on Thursday at Interbay.  The former  Hibernian Saints midfielder looked confident and comfortable in her role organizing the front five.  Between her and new coach Leighton O'Brien, it seems as though the ladies will be taking a more direct approach in their attack this season.  The straightforward 4-4-2 looked at times like a 2-4-4 with the aggressive pressing of our outside mids.  It was a very fun product to watch.

Other Sounders returners also looked in top form:

Chalise Baysa, at the left outside mid position, pressed forward and had several nice runs that kept the back line of SPU busy all night.

At Keeper, Katie Hultin was not tested often, but commanded the 18 with her usual intimidating presence.  She was scored on early with a magical knuckleball from 20 following a missed clearance.  That goal, however, sparked cleaner, less-hurried passing for the remainder of the night as the ladies found their pace.

Kelli Smith played her usual game with several heady decisions and pressing long-balls and Erin Redwine was a constant threat when the ball moved forward into the box.

The only troubling aspect of the night came soon after SPU's opening goal.  Defender Allison Tenney, a former defender with the WPS's Washington Freedom, found the losing end of a collision and sustained a collar bone injury of some sort.  Hopefully she's okay, both for her sake, and that of the Sounders.  Her experience will be missed on the back line.  I'll do my best to find out more about her recovery this weekend.

We finally found net in the 37th minute after a beautiful run up the left side by Baysa.  She settled the ball and found an eager Jocelyn Charette (former SPU Falcon) in front of the goal who easily netted the ball.  The result followed a long stretch of Sounder possession that saw many a near goal.

Our ladies continued the press through the break until Kelly Irving put her strong right foot to the ball and left the SPU keeper with no chance in the 53rd minute.

All in all, Leighton O'Brien's inaugural debut as the Lady Sounders' Head Man was a success.  The girls found their rhythm with minimal hiccups and were the dominant side for the majority of the match.  Tomorrow's test against the Pac 10's Oregon State will be a solid increase in competition and a good test for our ladies as they continue to refine their play.

See you tomorrow at MAD Pizza.  ECS Members will receive discounts on food.  So show your card & bring your voices.  March to the Match promptly at 12:40.