2006 May 20

Seattle Sounders  2 - 0  Toronto Lynx
Qwest Field, Seattle, WA

Seattle: Chris Eylander; Danny Jackson, Seyi Abolaji, Ben Somoza, Zach Scott (Jacob Besagno 85'); Kevin Sakuda, CJ Klaas (Nate Boyden 90'), Gabe Sturm (Cam Weaver 56'), Andrew Gregor; Roger Levesque, Jamal Sutton (Craig Tomlinson 61'). Substitutes not used: Dave Mahoney, Noah Merl.

Toronto: Theo Zagar; Rick Titus, Andres Arango, Tony Menezes, Chris Williams; David Di Placido (Darren Baxter 73'), Robbie Aristodemo (Niels Dekker 67'), Marko Bedenikovic, Joe Mattacchione (Gordon Chin 46'); Jamie Dodds (Huffman Eja-Tabe 80'), Jeremy Shepherd (Osni Neto 46'). Substitutes not used: Richard Goddard.

Goals:
3' SEA - Sutton
79' SEA - Tomlinson (Weaver)

Additional match reports: Sounders, Seattle Times.

Match report by Ron Stickney:

This match was a battle for last place in the young season, and the Sounders rose above the cellar with a 2-0 win over the visiting Toronto Lynx. The Lynx now have four losses in four matches with no goals. The Sounders are 1-1-2 with 4 goals.

The forwards earned their paychecks this match. Roger Levesque helped set up both goals, and the two goals went to forwards, Jamal Sutton early and Craig Tomlinson late. Rookie Chris Eylander earned his first professional shutout in goal.

First Half

3' Sutton. The Sounders scored early. Levesque had a piece of the ball on the 18-yard line but couldn't control it, and the Toronto defense couldn't clear it. The ball rolled to Sutton at the center of the 18, and he turned nicely with the ball to earn a shot. Sutton slotted a low shot between goalkeeper Theo Zagar and the near post. 1-0 Seattle.

The Lynx pressured the Sounders goal for the next several minutes, but the Sounders weathered the storm. Jamie Dodds won a ball at the penalty spot and passed square for ex-Sounder Robbie Aristodemo, whose shot from 15 yards missed the top far corner by a yard. It would be Toronto's best chance of the night. In the same minute, Joe Mattachione was just a yard wide of the far post with a low shot from outside the penalty area. Dodds tried from the left touch line but missed the top near corner by 2 yards. Rick Titus up on the attack got by Ben Somoza for a shot from 15, but Eylander had it covered for the first save of the match.

In the 12th minute, Sutton almost had another goal when Andrew Gregor put him loose just right of center for a shot from 12. Zagar saved it by deflecting the shot onto the post, and it went out for a corner. Gregor sent the corner kick just a bit too high for the charging tall guy at the far post.

Seattle kept the momentum through the 28th minute. In the 19th, a long Seattle free kick went to Sutton at the far post, and he headed just a foot over the crossbar. Sweeper Danny Jackson, up for a set play, was served by Gregor for a 15-yard shot from the right, but Zagar had it covered comfortably for his second save. In the 24th a Seattle throw-in to the near post went off Zagar's fingertips across the goal mouth, but no Sounders were there to tap it in. In the 27th, Somoza's cross from the right was just a bit too high for Gabe Sturm, who headed it wide of the near post.

In the 29th minute, it was hard to tell whether Seyi Abolaji got the ball first or Dodds first when Dodds charged into Seattle's penalty area, but Dodds sure embellished the fall. Dodds earned a yellow card from referee Kari Seitz for diving, when Dodds would have been much more content with a PK. Seitz inadvertently went to the wrong pocket and first pulled the red card, but she caught her mistake before she raised the card, and she probably mentally cursed as she put the red card away and fetched the yellow, which did get raised.

Seattle came inches close in the 35th when a long Gregor free kick to the far post was headed nicely on goal by Zach Scott, but Zagar dove sideways to knock it off the goal plane with his hand.

For Toronto in the 39th, Dodds tried a low shot up the middle from 30 yards and Eylander watched it go just wide.

Somoza was up deep in the 39th for a far-post cross with time to look, but it was just a bit too high for Sutton and was headed a yard over the bar. Then Somoza crossed to the 18 to give CJ Klaas a shot, but he bent it the wrong way and it curled away from the far post.

Halftime: Seattle 1-0 Toronto

The early minutes of the second half saw few scoring opportunities, but several substitutions, including Tomlinson for Sutton in the 61st after Sutton appeared to injure himself on an attack. The first decent chance was Toronto's, as Dodds was served open on the right for a 15-yarder, but he missed the top near corner by yards.

Seattle came close in the 70th when Klaas' corner kick was headed across the goal mouth by Cam Weeaver for Levesque to head on goal, but the Gordon Chin at the post deflected it wide for a corner.

79' Tomlinson (Weaver). Levesque was served wide open on the right for a cross to the near side. Weaver headed it across the goal mouth past Zagar for Tomlinson on the far post run, and Tomlinson beat his marker easily to tap it in. 2-0 Seattle. Tomlinson stripped off his shirt in celebration and earned himself a yellow card.

The Sounders defense managed to prevent any good chances for Toronto the last ten minutes plus three minutes of added time.

Final: Seattle 2-0 Toronto

Statistics:
         Seattle   Toronto
Shots:      14        10
Saves:       1         4
Corners:     5         2
Fouls:      16        16
Offsides:    3         3

Misconduct:
29' TOR - Dodds cautioned for diving in the penalty area
55' SEA - Abolaji cautioned for a foul at the halfway line
75' TOR - Dekker cautioned for getting Tomlinson in the back with his boot
80' SEA - Tomlinson cautioned for taking his shirt off after scoring
88' TOR - Bedenikovic cautioned for knocking Levesque down 25 yards from goal

Referees: Kari Seitz; Garth Trimble, Manuel Soledad; Mark Matthews

Attendance: 3,051