Sunday, June 10, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. – The Sounders FC U23 scored three first-half goals en route to a 3-0 victory against the North Sound SeaWolves on Sunday afternoon at Franklin Pierce Stadium. The goals were scored in three different fashions, by three different Sounders, as the side collected three points to move to the top of the PDL's Northwest Division.
The Sounders got off to a sizzling start in their first meeting against the SeaWolves. In the third minute, Aodhan Quinn drove a cross to the back post. His pass skipped off the head of Bubba Jammeh, from the SeaWolves defense, and fell to Sean Morris, who lined up a first time volley from 12 yards out and smashed it into the bottom corner for a 1-0 lead.
The Sounders were first to the majority of 50-50 balls in the first half and kept the ball near the SeaWolves goal. In the 21st minute, it paid off. The Sounders whipped a cross in from the right wing to Quinn, and the Akron product took a couple of touches to settle the ball. He had options to his right and left for a pass, but instead turned for his own effort on goal. Quinn’s low shot found the bottom left corner to expand the lead to two goals.
The Sounders nearly added a third goal before halftime when the two goal-scorers, Quinn and Morris, linked up. A fantastic first-time pass from Quinn found Morris on the back edge of the penalty area. Morris settled the pass perfectly with his first touch and struck a shot with the second. After an initial save from Evan Gaul, Morris was presented with a second chance that he took as a first time volley. The shot forced Gaul into a stretching save.
The SeaWolves responded after their close calls defensively with an offensive chance of their own. Abdul Aman, who had a short stint with Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC during preseason after being selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft, drilled a long shot off of the Sounders U23 crossbar. The ball was collected and crossed back in for Mark Conrad. The SeaWolves forward headed well, but Doug Herrick caught it to his left for the save.
The match really heated up for a 10-minute period, as in the 34th minute the Sounders had a header cleared off the line. The ball seemed to have touched the shoulder of a SeaWolves defender. In response, North Sound’s Aman launched another long shot that had eyes for the upper 90, only for Herrick to use every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame to keep it out.
In the 40th minute, the Sounders put the game away. A long ball from Herrick tested the SeaWolves defense. Sean Okoli read a big bounce well to get behind the defense and past the goalkeeper. With a race between Okoli and Bubba Jammeh directly in front of the goal, Okoli reached the ball first and tucked it home.
The second half was tame compared to the end of the first. The Sounders had a number of long shots that were saved or nearly missed. Fancundo DiPascuale, a second-half substitute, also had a one-on-one chance that he tried to volley over the onrushing goalkeeper. The shot sailed a few feet over the crossbar. The same crossbar was involved seconds later when Quinn found space for a long shot. His effort smacked off the crossbar and went over.
The Sounders 3-0 victory gives them 18 points after nine matches. They now lead the Northwest Division by two points over the Portland Timbers and Kitsap Pumas. The loss keeps the SeaWolves at nine points from seven games played.
The next match for the Sounders U23 is a massive Friday night game at Cheney Stadium, as they will take on the Kitsap Pumas at 7:30 p.m. on June 15. Tickets are available at SoundersU23.com.