Sounders Snap Scoreless Drought With Four Goals In Victory

Published on August 25, 2008 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Seattle Sounders News Release


TUKWILA -- Before the wedding bells ring for him next Saturday, Josh Gardner rang up a couple of timely goals for the Seattle Sounders.

Gardner ended a 281-minute Sounders scoring drought with a first-half goal, then scored the equalizer midway through the second half, and Sebastien LeToux netted the game-winner just two minutes later as Seattle rallied twice on Sunday night to pull out a 4-3 victory against the Carolina RailHawks.

"It's great to get four goals and win," said Gardner, whose deuce on Sunday gave him six goals for the season. "We've realized we have to get points. I was looking at our record this morning, and we only had three wins at home. We just wanted to come out and put a good performance together."

The victory in front of 2,008 fans on a wet, autumn-like August night at Starfire Sports Complex was the first of a season-ending seven-game homestand for the Sounders after a 3-0 loss to Puerto Rico on Aug. 15, and a 0-0 tie against Vancouver last Wednesday. It boosted their season record to 9-8-9 with 36 points, lifting them into a third-place tie with Charleston (10-8-6) in the United Soccer Leagues First Division standings.

"I think it was just a matter of time," said midfielder Ciaran O'Brien, whose long crossing pass from the opposite side of the field set up Gardner's goal in the 16th minute, and whose corner kick later in the first half led to Roger Levesque's first goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2. "We've played well; it's just that final piece that came together tonight. Our defense was OK, but luckily, we were flying on offense that got us going."

The Sounders had struggled at Starfire recently, managing just two goals in their previous four games (1-2-1). But Sunday's come-from-behind effort boosted their home mark to 4-2-5 (with one of the ties against Portland in the season-opener at Qwest Field).

"Scoring four is great, scoring more than the opposition is great, so this is a great day," coach Brian Schmetzer said. "I haven't been around too many soccer matches where the visiting team scores three and loses. They gave up those two goals (two minutes apart in the second half), and I watched their players as they walked off, and they were gutted."

The seven goals were the most in a game involving the Sounders since June 18, 2006, when they dropped a 5-3 decision at Miami.

Down 3-2 after Carolina's Hamed Diallo completed a hat trick in the 49th minute, Seattle tied the game at the outset of the 63rd minute on Gardner's second goal of the night. Yousouff Kante had the ball deep in the right corner and crossed it all the way across the field where Gardner was waiting outside the box about 12 yards up from the net. Gardner headed it into the back right corner.

Just 2 ¼ minutes later, O'Brien took a free kick for the Sounders on the right wing side 35 yards away. The ball sailed toward the left post where Le Toux was waiting. A RailHawks defender knocked Le Toux off the ball, and goalkeeper Chris McClellan went down for it. But Le Toux recovered in time to get another shot and drove it into the back right corner.

The Sounders ended their 281-minute league scoreless streak on a falling header by Gardner on O'Brien's long cross early in the first half. Gardner's shot while he was falling to the ground flew past Carolina goalkeeper McClellan and went just inside the right post.

The Sounders missed a golden opportunity for a 2-0 lead when Le Toux was all alone downfield to be on the receiving end of a long pass by Gardner. But McClellan and another RailHawks defender were there at the left post early in the 22nd minute.

The RailHawks tied the game less than a minute later. McClellan had just pulled down a corner kick, and distributed the ball out to Martin Nunez, who took it down the center of the field. Hamed Diallo went streaking down the right wing, stopping at the top right corner of the box just in time to meet Nunez' pass and drill it past Chris Eylander into the back left corner.

The Sounders had a chance to go in front in the 30th minute when an O'Brien corner kick from the left quadrant floated across the box to Roger Levesque. His ensuing header was slapped off the line by McClellan, who was diving to his right.

The RailHawks immediately came downfield and made it 2-1. Santiago Fusilier took the ball to the top right corner of the box and sent a shot toward the left post, which Eylander got to. But he wasn't able to latch onto the ball, and Diallo was at the left post wide open to tap it into the net.

A Sounders attack that produced three opportunities paid off on the third one late in the 36th minute. A Kante blast from 35 yards had been tipped over the top by McClellan, and the ensuing corner kick from the right side also was cleared over the line.

That gave Seattle a corner kick from the left side, and O'Brien sent it into the box, where Levesque hit it off the back of his head across the goal mouth and into the netting on the far-post side.

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USL First Division Stories from August 25, 2008


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