Seattle Sounders  2 - 0  Vancouver 86ers
Memorial Stadium, Seattle

9' Sea: McCormick
87' Sea: Baena

Sea: Dusty Hudock; Bernie James, Jason Annicchero, Randy Mann; David Hoggan, Brandon Prideaux, Scott Jenkins, Dick McCormick; Mark Baena, Patrick Beech (76' Kei Kinoshita), Erik Storkson (65' Fabian Davis).

Van: Paul Dolan; Randy Samuel, Steve MacDonald, Richie Sumner; Craig Dalrymple, Mike Dodd (65' Oliver Heald), Paul Dailly, Chris Franks; Chris Clarke, Jason Jordan, Dominic Mobilio (74' Carl Valentine).

The Seattle Sounders delighted the home fans with a 2-0 win over I-5 rivals Vancouver 86ers. The home win came after a return from a successful road trip that produced three wins in four matches. Dick McCormick put the Sounders on the scoreboard early when he converted a penalty kick earned by Erik Storkson who was held in the area. Three minutes from time Mark Baena took a pass from Fabian Davis and scored the insurance goal.

Steve MacDonald had a bad trip to Seattle. Early on he was caught holding Storkson in the area, which resulted in Seattle's PK goal. After the halftime whistle, MacDonald, who had been barking at the referee throughout the first half, earned a yellow card for dissent. And in the end, he was the defender beaten by Baena for Seattle's second goal.

Peter Hattrup was unavailable this match due to paperwork problems with his loan from the NPSL Milwaukee Wave. Hattrup is due back for the next match.

First Half

Before the match had produced a shot, Seattle was awarded a penalty kick when Storkson was held down with both arms by MacDonald to prevent Storkson from getting his head on an air ball. Goalkeeper Paul Dolan held onto the ball while trying to talk the referee out of the PK and earned himself a yellow card for his troubles.

9' McCormick (PK). McCormick made good the PK with a well-placed shot just inside the left post.

Chris Franks took Vancouver's first shot at 14', a 20-yarder from the left that Goalkeeper Dusty Hudock gobbled up.

Seattle came right back with a good chance when Patrick Beech's low cross was shot on goal by Storkson. The ball appeared to deflect off the top of the sliding Dolan's leg, onto the crossbar and over, but the assistant referee signaled for a goal kick while Storkson was lobbying for a corner.

At the other end Scott Jenkins attempted to head a ball clear near Seattle's 18-yard line, but the ball went off his head the wrong way scaring Hudock, who might have been beat if the ball hadn't fallen onto the top of the net just behind the bar. Vancouver's next chance came when sweeper Randy Samuel came forward up the middle for a 35-yarder that was two yards wide right.

Midway in the half, Brandon Prideaux gave Jenkins a chance with a cross over the defense to the far post, but Jenkins couldn't reach enough of the ball and sent it into the side netting. A good series of passes led to a short cross for a Storkson shot 6 yards out from the near post, but the shot was deflected up onto the crossbar and Vancouver's defense cleared the rebound from danger.

MacDonald got a chance from one of Paul Dailly's corner kicks, but the header was sent well over the bar.

With 5 minutes remaining in the half, Randy Mann dribbled up the middle and launched a wonderfully bending 25-yard shot that looked good, but an 86er defender deflected it just wide. Seattle's shot from the resulting corner kick was deflected wide of the far post, and the next corner kick was cleared for Prideaux to blast it over the bar.

The final chance of the half was Vancouver's when Jason Annicchero was whistled and cautioned for going up over Chris Clarke to head a ball. The free kick was sent to the far post, where Jason Jordan's pressured header was sent into the side of the net.

Halftime:  Seattle  1 - 0  Vancouver

Early in the second half a corner kick gave C. Clarke a chance that was blocked, and the rebound gave him a second chance that was deflected out by sweeper Bernie James.

Good opportunities alternated from end to end for much of the second half. Seattle had a good shot from McCormick's cross, slightly deflected by 86er Craig Dalrymple and then headed sharply at the top near corner by Beech. Dolan did well to push the shot over the corner.

Vancouver's Domenic Mobilio fired a 35-yard shot up the middle at the lower right corner, but Hudock dove to push it just wide.

McCormick dribbled up the middle the other direction for a 30-yarder, sent just wide of the far post.

From a Vancouver free-kick play, Jordan's short shot with his back to the goal was easily saved by Hudock.

Baena sent a square pass to Beech for a first-touch, 20-yard shot that was just wide.

At 74' Mobilio went down after a collision with a Sounder (not James!) that might have been serious, as the ambulance staff were signaled. Coach Carl Valentine came on for Mobilio.

Vancouver could not gain any more good shots, but Seattle could. Substitute Fabian Davis, recently back from a few weeks of duty with the Jamaican National Team, took a 30-yard blast up the middle that didn't miss by much.

87' Baena (Davis). Davis' pass up the middle gave Baena a chance, and he outran MacDonald for a shot from inside the area with just the keeper to beat. Dolan slid to block the shot with his legs, but the rebound went back to Baena who calmly bounced the ball into the open goal for the 2-0 result.

Final:  Seattle  2 - 0  Vancouver

Seattle next hosts the California Jaguars (a.k.a. Kitty-Kats) on Saturday, August 15, at 7:00 PM. Annicchero is expected to sit the match out due to an accumulation of yellow cards. While he had apparently collected five yellow cards a few weeks ago, it seems that one of them was successfully appealed, delaying the inevitable.

Statistics

Shots: Sea 17, Van 13
Saves: Hudock 4, Dolan 4
Corners: Sea 8, Van 9
Fouls: Sea 15, Van 9
Offside: Sea 2, Van 2

Misconduct:
5' Van: C. Franks cautioned.
8' Van: Dolan cautioned for holding the ball and complaining about a PK awarded to Seattle.
13' Sea: Hoggan cautioned.
43' Sea: Annicchero cautioned for leaping over C. Clarke to head a ball.
45' Van: MacDonald cautioned for complaining, presumably about the PK called against him in the 8th minute.

Referee: Matlock
Attendance: 3,618