The first half kicked off and the possession was pretty even. The first action came from a nicely hit volley by Reign’s, Teresa Noyola. Unfortunately for the Reign it missed just wide of the post. Just one minute later in the 8^th minute, Sky Blue scored a goal to go up 1-0. Sky Blue took the ball up the field on a quick counter attack and Caitlin Foord played in a through ball to forward, Lisa De Vanna, who slotted it perfectly to the far post.

In the 17^th minute, De Vanna ripped another shot to the far post, but this time it went just wide. Sky Blue really put the pressure on the Reign’s defense in the first half; they seemed to control the ball just a little bit better. The match went into half time with Sky Blue leading 1-0.

The second half began with a great scoring chance for the Reign. Forward, Tiffany Cameron, found herself on a breakaway, but the Sky Blue keeper came out and put an end to the breakaway with a hard collision. The Reign came out of half time with a bit more pep in their step and applied serious pressure on Sky Blue’s defense. However, Sky Blue was applying some pressure of their own.

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In the 61^st minute, Sky Blue was awarded a penalty kick when Lisa De Vanna was brought down in the box by the Reign’s defender, Jennifer Ruiz. Since this was Ruiz’s second yellow card offense she received a red card and had to leave the game. On the penalty kick, Reign’s goalkeeper, Haley Kopmeyer made a beautiful save to stop it and keep the Reign in the game. The play got more aggressive in the following minutes and multiple cards were given out to both teams.

In the 77^th minute, Sky Blue was awarded a free kick just outside the 18 yard-box. Midfielder, Sophie Schmidt, hit an absolutely beautiful curling shot around the wall and into the side netting. The Reign’s goalkeeper could do nothing to stop it.

Once again, with just a few minutes left in the game, Sky Blue was awarded a free kick. The ball was whipped in from about 30 yards out towards the penalty mark. It was flicked on beautiful by the Sky Blue forward onto the midfielder, Taylor Lytle. She settled the ball calmly and then hit a volley over the Reign keeper and into the top of the net. The Reign had a couple chances in the last minutes but were unable to score on Sky Blue’s solid defense. The match ended 3-0.

Seattle Reign’s next home game is on May 25^th against Portland Thorns FC. You can find the latest up to date news and season schedule here.

The first real chance for the Sounders came in the 9th minute when Theresa Henle played a low, driven cross in front the net to teammate Lindsey Elston who flicked the ball towards goal but was just wide of the goal frame. The game flowed nicely back and forth between teams, with neither really having a solid shot on goal.  In the 26th minute Henle crossed another lovely ball to a teammate who tested the Vancouver keeper, but was denied a goal.  In the 34th minute Annie Sittauer of the Sounders played a lovely drop ball to the top of the 18 yard box to Elston who hit a stinging shot just wide of the goal mouth.  Vancouver turned around and attacked the Sounders goal where #9(not listed on the roster) whipped a cross into the box but Erin McNulty of the Sounders swept up the ball to deny Vancouver of any other goal scoring opportunities. In the 44th minute Elston was dropped the ball to the top of the 18 for a second chance at goal.  This shot was nicely hit, but was once again wide of the goal mouth.  The Sounders had many opportunities and most of the possession in the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net.  Vancouver had some flashes of brilliance and had developed rhythm amongst themselves by the end of the first half.

The second half started out with both teams fighting to score the first goal.  Early into the half Vancouver received a corner kick and Natalie Boyd found the the cross and chipped the ball over the cross bar.  The possession was equal between the two teams throughout the second half.  In the 68th minute McNulty came off her line and slid to deny Chelsea Harkins who had been played a through ball.  The Sounders turned the ball around and came back to attack the Vancouver defensive third.  Elston of the Sounder played a through ball to Henle, but the ball was just a touch in front of her and she wasn’t able to get a shot off.  In the 84th minute the Sounders had their best chance on goal.  Arica Slawson played a beautiful cross to Laura Rayfield who had a chest trap and tried to flick the ball past the keeper, but was denied.  Vancouver returned the ball to the Sounders half where Harkins ripped a shot on frame, but McNulty came up with a save to keep the score at 0-0.  The last chance for the Sounders came in the 91st minute Henle crossed the ball to Elston who was wide open who volleyed it towards the goal, but the ball went over the crossbar.

The Sounders had a great ball possession in the first half and had multiple opportunities to score throughout the game.  Although the game was scoreless look for the Sounders to find rhythm amongst themselves and find the back of the net as the season progresses.

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With the sun shining the two teams came ready for battle. The first real chance of the game came in the 10^th minute when South Seattle Inter had a free kick just outside the 18.  The ball was pinged into the box and could not be swept up by the Nomads keeper.  With the ball loose in the 18, Haris Sehovic got his foot on the ball and found the back of the net to put Seattle Inter up 1-0.  Seattle Inter upped their lead to two minutes later when Mirza Memic dribbled down the sideline and crossed the ball beautifully to Edin Dedakovic who had a lovely cut to beat the Nomads defender and launched a low, hard shot past the opposing keeper. The first attempt on goal from Nomads came in the 21^st minute, but an offside call on the play kept them scoreless.

As the first half continued, Seattle Inter tested the Nomads goalkeeper with a barrage of shots on net. But a remarkable performance from the keeper, featuring multiple diving saves, kept the game within reach for the Nomads. However, Seattle Inter would score one more before the end of he half. As the game approached the 45^th minute, Nomads failed to make a tackle in their defensive third, which led to a counter attack down the wing. A ball played square to a Seattle Inter teammate developed into a solid goal to end the half with a score of 3-0 in their favor.

The second half resumed with intensity from both teams. Early on, a Nomads forward found a cross with a diving header, but an offside ruling would call back the goal.  A shift in momentum saw Nomads with many more scoring chances as they peppered Seattle Inter with shots. However, Seattle Inter’s goalkeeper continued to deny the Nomads squad. Seattle Inter made their first big move in he half during the 70^th minute when a player had a one-on-one with the keeper, beat him on the dribble, and found himself in front of an open net. But the player was unable to convert, keeping the score at 3-0.

The Nomads saw their efforts pay off in the 75^th minute.  After a free kick just outside the corner of the 18, Nomads capitalized off a half volley scramble in front of the net to bring them within 2.  The goal caused an increase in concentration from Seattle Inter as they looked to secure the win. In the 85^th minute Seattle Inter solidified their lead when Aldin Tirak was played the ball in the 18 where he remained poised and skillfully beat the keeper to score for his team, bringing their lead back to 3.  Nomads continued to press and create chances by working the ball around well, but were unable to convert any more opportunities.

South Seattle Inter would take the match 4-1.

On this beautiful 70 degree night the Sounders Women faced off with the University of Washington Women. The Starfire Sports Stadium was full of energy for this one – the cheering battle between the Sounders and UW fans was almost as intense as the battle on the field.

The action picked up quickly. In the 6th minute, Mellisa Busque, midfielder for the Sounders Women ripped in a shot, but the UW keeper came up with a big save to push it wide. The Sounders had another great chance again in the 8th minute. Megan Lindsay connected with a nice header off free kick, but defender, McKenzie Karas, cleared it off the line. Although this was a pre-season game, it was a very physical one. The Sounders took 4 free kicks in the first 12 minutes. Neither team was possessing the ball that well, but both teams were playing fast and hard, which led to opportunities for both teams. UW midfielder, Lindsay Elstan, hit an absolute missile from the corner of the 18 yard box in the 21st minute, but it missed just wide of the post. In the 35th minute Lindsay Elstan was once again in the thick of the action. She made a streaking run down the far side of the field as Isabel Farrell whipped in a nice cross. The ball found Lindsay Elstan’s right foot beautifully and she found the back of the net off a right footed scorcher. The goal gave UW a 1-0 lead. The Sounders threatened to score twice just minutes before the end of the half, but were unable to finish the chances. The game went to halftime with UW leading 1-0.

The Sounders looked a lot better in the 2nd half. The game was played with the same pace as the first, but the Sounders were creating better attacks out of the midfield. Sounders created another great opportunity off of a free-kick around 30 yards out. Sounders defender, Maggie Schrader, had a nice downward header, but UW’s keeper had an even better save to keep it out of the goal. Both teams were putting the opposing teams’ defense to work in the 2nd half. The game was fast and so were the attacks. In the 74th minute Sounders defender, Elizabeth Russel, took the ball up the field on a counter-attack and surprised everyone (including UW’s keeper) with a shot from about 35 yards out. The keeper wasn’t able to stop it, but unfortunately for the Sounders the crossbar was.

With time winding down, the home team crowd was tense and hopeful for some late game heroics. With just 8 minutes left in the game they would see just that. Mellisa Busque drove in a corner kick and Sounders Defender, Brigit Reder, got her body in front of it to get it across the goal line. It was the equalizer they needed. Each team had its chances in the following minutes, but neither team could capitalize to get the game winning goal. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Sounders Women’s next home game is on May 17th against Vancouver and they will be playing here at Starfire Sports Stadium.

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Green River CC started off on full throttle, commanding possession, passing the ball around and making good runs down the flanks during the opening minutes. Their first chance came early when a Green River CC player worked the ball well in the corner, cut into the box and took a shot which was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Soon after, the squad was awarded a free kick right outside of the box. The kick taker opted to lay it off to his teammate who ripped a powerful shot that went wide of goal. Their third scoring opportunity came as Muhhammud took his shot off an excellent trough ball, which was parried by the keeper. Muhhammud was in the thick of the action once again when he received another through ball moments later, took a few touches, cut it inside and struck the ball well only to have the goalkeeper come up big once again. Near Miss FC remained on the back foot as Green River CC continued to press. Green River CC had another chance go begging after they put a string of neat passes together at the top of the box only to shoot it wide. Green River CC’s moment finally came with a third remaining in the first half when a shot took a massive deflection and rolled into the net. Near Miss FC’s most promising chance came from a corner kick soon after. The ball was placed in the middle of the box, which was cleared, but only as far as an oncoming Near Miss FC player who launched a shot that the Green River keeper saved pretty handily. Green River’s final chance of the half came from a moment of mastery by Cameron who turned a clearance into a beautiful long pass over the top to Muhhammud whose shot hit the post.

The second half resumed with very much the same rhythm as the first with Green River CC taking control to produce an early goal via another deflection. They added another when a ball was played in the box and the advancing goalkeeper failed to get to it before the striker easily slotted into the corner. Green River CC upped their goal count to four before Near Miss FC produced one of their own. Some intricate passing in the box set up a Near Miss who took a powerful shot that sailed beyond the outstretched arm of the Green River goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Near Miss continued to press and create chances by working the ball around well, but were unable to convert any more opportunities. Green River CC would take the match 4-1.

The game kicked off and you could tell the two teams knew each other very well. There were a couple of hard challenges to set the tone early. Each team was awarded a free kick within shooting range within the first 6 minutes of the game. However, neither team capitalized on those opportunities. In the 13th minute Seattle Reign’s keeper, Michelle Betos, had an amazing save to stop a volley that was sent to the far post corner of the net. Again in the 16th minute, Betos had a beautiful quick reaction, diving stop to save a sure goal; off the rebound a Kansas City forward fired in another shot, but it was cleared off the line by one of the Seattle Reign’s defenders. Kansas City put the pressure on early and forced some big stops from the Reign’s defense and goalkeeper.

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The intensity picked up and there were 2 yellow cards given to 2 different Kansas City players around the 30-minute mark. Immediately following the cards, the Reign created a great scoring opportunity from a perfectly placed through ball into the forward, Tiffany Cameron. She was not able to convert the opportunity into a goal. The game goes into halftime with a 0-0 score-line. Throughout the first half, Michelle Betos had a couple of huge saves to Seattle Reign in the game.

The second half opened up and it seemed that the Seattle Reign midfield was moving the ball around a bit better than in the first half. In the 52nd minute, a Kansas City player found herself with her back turned away from the goal around the edge of the box and decided to take a shot. She hit a turning volley that floated awkwardly over the defense and almost into the net – the crossbar came to the rescue. A few minutes later, Merritt Mathias whipped in a driven cross and Kansas City hit in a hard shot. Betos saved it again, this time comfortably. The pressure from Kansas City climaxed in the 68th minute and they were able to score a goal. After a couple textbook wall passes, Becky Sauerbrunn passed it in perfectly into Renae Cuellar around the penalty area and she was able to rip it into the corner of the net.

After the goal the Reign really stepped up the pressure and came very close to scoring an equalizer in the last 10 minutes. Even with some very well put together attacks they were just not able to find the back of the net. It was an intense, hard fought game, but in the end FC Kansas City took home a well-deserved win.

The game started off with high intensity and Here 4 Beer scoring quickly into the first period. With momentum and their adrenaline pumping they put another goal in the back of the net to have a solid lead. Fortunately for FC Drinkers, they found some energy and rhythm amongst themselves and found the back of the net in the fifth minute to bring the game back within reach. Both teams were able to hold possession of the ball nicely and create chances on goal. In the ninth minute of the game Tsutomu Ando had a lovely cut around a Here 4 Beer defender and slotted the ball to the back post to tie the game up for his team. A short two minutes later a FC Drinker player had a glorious step over to beat the Here 4 Beer defense and keeper to take the lead for his team. A quick counter attack and goal lead by Here 4 Beer brought the game back into a tie for the second time that night. In the eighteenth minute Tsutomu Ando chipped the ball over the defense and had a beautiful header goal to take the game to 4-3 in FC Drinkers favor. The game went into half time in favor of FC Drinker 4-3 over Here 4 Beer.

The second half started out with high intensity from both teams. Here 4 Beer wanted to get another goal to bring the game back within reach and FC Drinkers wanted to maintain their lead. FC Drinkers had many chances on goal throughout the second period. Marcus Chromy of Here 4 Beer kept them in the game with tremendous saves. In the ninth minute of the second period FC Drinkers hit a stinging shot low and hard to the corner, but Marcus Chromy sprawled out in a full dive to get finger tips on the ball and knock it wide, denying FC Drinkers of scoring. A short minute later Here 4 Beer had a free kick and they swung the ball nicely into the box, where FC Drinkers keeper had to come up with a big save to keep his team in the lead. There were no goals scored until the eighteenth minute of the second period when Colin Gierzak of Here 4 Beer dribbled the ball nicely, cut around a FC Drinker defensive player, and slotted the ball in the back of the net, bringing the ball back into a tie once again with a score of 4-4. But the game is not over until the referee blows the whistle and that was certainly the case tonight. With thirty seconds left Tsutomu Ando of FC Drinkers worked together with his team and ended up with the ball back at his feet, a sharp cut around Here 4 Beer, and a ripped shot that squeezed by the diving keeper put his team back in the lead with a score of 5-4. The last minute goal from FC Drinkers ended being the game-winning goal as shortly thereafter the whistle was blown to end the game. The match was heated and well contested throughout the whole game. Keep a watch on the league standings as we approach playoffs, one can expect these teams will continue their success into the playoff period.