2003 Jul 11

Seattle Sounders  1 - 0  Milwaukee Wave United
Seahawks Stadium, Seattle, WA

Goals:
79' SEA - Sawatzky (Farrell)

Seattle: Rich Cullen; Danny Jackson, Ryan Edwards, Zach Scott; Jason Farrell, Viet Nguyen (Chad Brown 72'), Alex Bengard (Kevin Sakuda 86'), Andrew Gregor, Sean-Michael Callahan; Marco Velez (Darren Sawatzky 76'), Kyle Smith (Scott Jenkins 58'). Substitutes not used: Preston Burpo, Craig Tomlinson, Ben Somoza.

Milwaukee: Jim Larkin; Joe Hammes, Chad Dombrowski, Steve Lawrence, Troy Dusosky (Jeremy Aldrich 84'); Josh Timbers (Matt Miller 84'), Matt Schmidt, John Ball, Steve Bernal (Nick Walls 66'), Greg Howes; Todd Dusosky (Dino Delevski 60'). Substitutes not used: Jeff Richey, Digital Takawira.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

Darren Sawatzky scored a late, short-handed goal to lead the Sounders to a 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Wave United. Seattle played most of the second half with ten men after Sean-Michael Callahan was sent off for his second yellow card. The win avenged a loss to Milwaukee by the same score in Milwaukee two matches previously. Sawatzky is on a hot streak, having scored the last two goals the previous match. Rich Cullen had a great match, earning his ninth shutout of the season.

First Half

As in the previous match, the first shot was a surprise shot from the Sounders' Jason Farrell. This one, in the opening minute from 40 yards, travelled 10 yards before hitting Milwaukee sweeper Joe Hammes hard in the face, knocking him down for a minute.

Milwaukee's Steve Bernal had an early chance when he was served on a run up the middle, but from 20 yards he missed the top near corner by a yard.

Seattle captain Andrew Gregor forced the first save with a 25-yard free kick up the middle, but it went to the middle of the goal where Jim Larkin was waiting. Marco Velez shot well to the lower near corner from 20 yards, and Larkin made a fine diving save.

From a Milwaukee corner kick, Hammes got off a header under pressure but sent it yards high. In the 41st, ex-Sounder Greg Howes tried a 30-yarder up the middle and was just wide left.

At the halftime whistle, neither side had generated many good chances.

Halftime: Seattle 0 - 0 Milwaukee

The match was changed in the 51st minute when Callahan made an unwise slide under Chad Dombrowski, resulting in Callahan's second yellow card and the red. It was the second time this season that Callahan has been sent off for an unnecessary challenge.

Even though they were short-handed, it was the Sounders taking the shots. Viet Nguyen took the first shot of the half from the left edge of the penalty area, missing the top far corner by a foot. Alex Bengard ran up the left side on a counterattack and crossed into the goal area from the left bye line, Larkin muffed the attempted punch, and then Velez muffed the shot as the ball bounced under him. Gregor cracked a shot from 25 and was just wide of the near post. In the 60th, Bengard shot hard from 20 yards on the left, and Larkin made the block save.

Milwaukee's first shot of the half came in the 66th when Matt Schmidt skied one from 18. Delevski, on as a substitute, fired a rocket up the middle from 25 yards and missed, a yard high and wide.

From a broken Seattle throw-in play, Bengard worked a nice wall pass with Nguyen on the right and shot from 20 yards, but Larkin had it covered for the save.

In the 71st Milwaukee sub Nick Walls aimed a 20-yard shot nicely at the lower near corner, and Cullen made a nice diving save.

Farrell came right back with a 25-yard hard shot that was just a half yard over the bar.

Then Milwaukee took the momentum in the 73rd. Delevski's long free kick from the right touch line was accurately headed down at the lower near corner by Walls, and Cullen made a great diving save. John Ball shot from 15 yards on a corner kick play, and Cullen saved overhead. Howes got around the defense on the left and caught Cullen charging out, but a defender recovered to pressure the shot and may have gotten a piece of it, and the end result was the ball hitting the near post and going out for what was ruled a goal kick.

79' Sawatzky (Farrell). After stopping a Milwaukee attack, sweeper Danny Jackson passed to Farrell, who passed to Sawatzky breaking from the offside line 40 yards from goal. Sawatzky stayed a step ahead of a defender and took the ball just over the 18-yard line as Larkin charged out. Sawatzky held the ball until the last moment as Larkin refused to set his feet, then the low shot went past Larkin and into the empty goal. 1-0 Seattle. Sawatzky ran to the corner flag for a goal celebration in front of the most vocal Sounders supporters in section 113. There he was mobbed by happy teammates.

It was hang-on time for the Sounders. Howes headed a long cross on goal at 84', and Cullen backpedaled to save overhead. Delevski from 18 bent one just over the bar for Milwaukee's last good chance at 86'.

Four minutes were added, and the only worthy effort was another try by goal scorer Sawatzky. Gregor sprung him from the halfway line, and Sawatzky got off a pressured shot, but this time Larkin stopped halfway out and was positioned for the block save.

Final: Seattle 1 - 0 Milwaukee