Sean Morris, scored goal #1 of the day (photo by Chris Coulter, SoundersPhotos.com)

Tacoma, WA – The Sounders scored three first half goals en route to a dominating 3-0 victory over the North Sound SeaWolves on Sunday afternoon. The goals were scored in three different fashions, but three different Sounders.

A day after the top two teams in the Northwest Division, Kitsap and Portland, tied, the Sounders collected three points to overtake them for the NW Division lead.

The Sounders got off to a sizzling start in their first meeting against the SeaWolves. In the 3rd minute, Aodhan Quinn drove a cross to the back post. His pass skipped off the head of Bubba Jammeh, from the SeaWolves defense, and fell to Sean Morris. Morris lined up a first time volley from 12 yards out and smashed it into the bottom corner for a 1-0 Sounders lead.

The Sounders U-23 were first to the majority of 50/50 balls in the first half and kept the ball near the SeaWolves goal. In the 21st minute, it paid off. The Sounders whipped a cross in from the right wing to Aodhan Quinn. The Akron product took a couple of touches to settle the ball. He had options to his right and left for a pass, but instead turned for his own effort on goal. Quinn’s low shot found the bottom left corner to expand the lead to two goals.

The Sounders nearly added a third goal before halftime when the two goal scorers, Quinn and Morris, linked up. A fantastic first touch 30 yard pass found Morris on the back edge of the penalty box. Morris settled the pass perfectly with his first touch and struck a shot with the second. After the initial save from Evan Gaul, Morris was presented with a second chance that he took as a first time volley. The shot forced Gaul into a stretching save.

The SeaWolves responded after their close calls defensively with an offensive chance of their own. Abdulwali Aman, who had a short stint with the Sounders FC during MLS preseason, drilled a long shot off of the Sounders U-23 crossbar. The ball was collected and crossed back in for Mark Conrad. The SeaWolves forward headed well, but Doug Herrick caught it to his left for the save.

The match really heated up for a 10 minute period. In the 34th minute the Sounders had a header cleared off the line. The ball seemed to have touched the shoulder of a SeaWolves defender. In response, North Sound’s Aman launched another long shot that had eyes for the upper V. Doug Herrick used every inch of his 6’3” frame to keep it out.

In the 40th minute, the Sounders put the game on ice. A long ball from the Sounders goalkeeper, Doug Herrick tested the SeaWolves defense. Sean Okoli read a big bounce best to get behind the defense and past the goalkeeper. With a race between Okoli and Bubba Jammeh directly in front of the goal, Okoli reached the ball first and tucked it home.

The 2nd half was tame compared to the end of the 1st session. The Sounders had a number of long shots that were saved or nearly missed. Fancundo DiPascuale, a 2nd half substitute, also had a one on one chance that he tried to volley over the onrushing goalkeeper. The shot sailed a few feet over the crossbar.

The same crossbar was involved seconds later when Aodhan Quinn found space for a long shot. His effort smacked off the crossbar and went over.

The Sounders 3-0 victory gives them 18 points after nine matches. They now lead the Northwest Division by two points over the Portland Timbers and Kitsap Pumas. The loss keeps the SeaWolves at nine points from seven games played.

The next match for the Sounders U-23 is a massive Friday night game at Cheney Stadium. The Sounders U-23 will take on the Kitsap Pumas at 7:30pm on June 15. Tickets are available at SoundersU23.com.

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