Vancouver Letdown

The Final from Pitch #2 at Starfire:  Sounders 1:3 Vancouver.

A hearty thanks to everyone who came out tonight; it was a long, emotional day for all of us.  From the 4 and 5am wake-ups to beat traffic & make it up to the AC & scream your lungs out for our USMNT during a 91-minute tease that would be crowned with eternal jubilation.  It will be a morning we never forget.  Unfortunately, the evening will be one easy to remove from memory.

The Vancouver side showed its quality early with some beautiful combinations, led by star striker Jodi-Ann Robinson and sure-footed midfielder Sophie Schmidt.  It led to forward Amy Vermeulen netting off a rebound in the 7th minute.

As our backline settled down and the midfield began to gain some form, a free kick from 30yds out was awarded to Vancouver.  Dangerous, certainly, but nothing our girls couldn't handle.  The players in the box jostled for position, Sounder defender Beth Drollinger was held by a Whitecap forward Melissa Tancredi, as Drollinger broke free, the whistle was blown and a PK was awarded to the Whitecaps.  ...Shocking, really, it was simply not deserved; physical play should be expected at this level and a foul was not committed by either side.  It was a sad decision by a referee who clearly did not have his best night tonight.

Vermeulen slotted the PK home for her second tally of the night and our ladies, down 2, had a very large hill to climb.

The pace of the match was mainly dictated by Vancouver, but our ladies mounted increasingly dangerous chances as the final hour progressed.

In the 80th minute, Vancouver closed the door with a beautiful strike from Kara Lang, who entered the game as a sub early in the second half.

Our ladies fought on and created their best chances of the match during the final 10 minutes.  Midfielder Jocelyn Charette found the net when she slammed the ball past Whitecap keeper Siobhan (Shavon) Chamberlain after a mad scramble in front of the net.

The English keeper in green had a good night; saving the desperate and dangerous attacks from our ladies heading toward the final whistle.

All-in-all it was a disappointing affair.  That bogus PK made things incredibly difficult for our ladies against a side with as much quality as Vancouver's.

Friday, our girls do battle with the Pali Blues in search of 3pts and a share of the second spot atop the Western Conference.  Come on out again and bring a friend; ONLY THREE REGULAR SEASON HOME GAMES REMAINING!

See you in the Terraces!

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.