Sounders Women News Release - www.sounderswomen.com
Friday, July 5, 2013
TUKWILA, Wash. – The Sounders Women mounted an enormous comeback to top the Santa Clarita Blue Heat 3-2 in their final home game of the 2013 W-League season. The Sounders rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the first 10 minutes of the match to earn three much-needed points heading into their final game of the season.
After dropping their past two results in a three-game homestand, the Sounders Women were on the verge of losing the last one as well. However, a late goal in the first half and two second-half tallies personified the team’s resilience all season.
Santa Clarita’s Natalia Gomez-Junco stunned the crowd at Starfire Stadium 40 seconds into the match when she took a cross right in front of goal from Stacey Rodwell. Gomez-Junco settled the pass in front of her and finished the first-minute goal high in the net over the Sounders’ keeper to put her side on top.
Despite surrendering such an early lead, the Sounders responded with energetic, aggressive play and came close on a couple of occasions to leveling the match early in the first half.
In the sixth minute Rachel Mercik worked her way down the end line on her left side. With some fancy footwork, Mercik made room to loop a cross to the back post across the face of the goal. Keeper Cynthia Jacobo came out to the near post, and Mercik’s cross nearly fell behind her and into the goal, but it clipped the crossbar and the danger was cleared.
Just when it looked like the Sounders Women might erase the early difference, the Blue Heat found a way to widen their first-half lead.
The Sounders conceded a free kick to Santa Clarita in the ninth minute. Rodwell knuckled a shot from 26 yards and Erin McNulty was unable to hold onto the save. Tara Corcoran won the race to the free ball in the face of the goal and knocked it home for the 2-0 lead.
The Sounders Women continued to fight through the deficit and finally got onto the scoreboard well in first-half stoppage time.
The Blue Heat committed one of 27 fouls in a physical game, and Melissa Busque took a free kick looking to give her side a pivotal goal before the break. Busque sent a long-ball in from the right side of the midfield, and connected with the head of Brigit Reder. Reder barely got a touch on the cross, but directed it just enough to where Annie Sittauer could swing in the Sounders’ first goal from the far post. There was a dispute over a possible offsides but the officials deemed that the offside player did not deflect the shot.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Sounders Women kept their momentum and came back out with the same goal-scoring mentality that they went into the break with.
“During the halftime break we realized that this is our last home game, and we did not want to come out of here losing 2-0 or worse,” Jenna Richardson said. “We decided that we were not leaving this field without leaving absolutely everything out there.”
The Sounders Women equalized when Richardson took a throw-in from the left side, turned into the penalty area, and roped a shot into the far side-netting. Richardson’s first goal of the season locked the score at 2-2 in the 52nd minute of the match.
The Sounders Women now looked to get on the winning side of the scoreline, and continued to put together fluid attacking chances. Lindsay Elston nearly connected with Lyndsey Patterson in the 65th minute. Elston sent a cross in from the left to Patterson who met the ball right in front of the goal. Some heavy contact in the box from the Santa Clarita defender broke up the go-ahead opportunity.
In the 69th minute, the Sounders Women completed the comeback scoring their third unanswered goal, and the game-winner, off of the calm conversion of a penalty kick by Melissa Busque.
Busque retreaved an Allie Beahan cross from the left side, and juked a defender before her first shot. The save careened back to her and as Busque attempted to shoot again, she was brought down. Busque drove the penalty shot home for the game-winner with her right foot, to the left of Jacobo.
With the lead in hand, the Sounders Women were now trying to defend it, and some quality play late from goalkeeper McNulty helped solidify the victory for her squad.
In the 81st minute, Blue Heat striking Ana Borges was knocking on the door for the leveling goal when she took a though-ball near the top of the box. McNulty anticipated the play well, and came off of her line to limit Borges’ space. McNulty made a fabulous save with her left foot as Borges tried to squeeze it by her, and the danger was eliminated.
The Sounders Women held on through five minutes of stoppage time and tallied crucial points towards sealing a playoff berth.
The Sounders Women remain atop the Western Conference standings as they head to the Bay Area Breeze on July 14. The game will be broadcast live on 1150AM, or 1150KKNW.com.