Washington State
Legends of Soccer

Curated by the Washington State Legends of Soccer, providing information and history of the Beautiful Game in Washington State. Just as the game evolves, so will this site. We continuously add new content, so be sure to return often.

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Explore our history. Click on any of the panels below to learn what happened that year.
SPU Topples No. 1 Team on Road
November 22, 1986

Seattle Pacific topples No. 1-ranked Cal State Northridge, 2-1, on the road in an NCAA Division II quarterfinal, snapping the Matadors’ 14-game unbeaten streak. Jeff Storrs makes eight saves and Mark Faller gets the 81st-minute quarterfinal winner before 2,696 Northridge fans. The Falcons never trailed, going in front on Danny Machado's 27' goal. Faller scores his fifth goal in five games.

Hahnemann Blanks Manchester United
August 12, 2007

Marcus Hahnemann makes five key saves to help Reading hold defending champion Manchester United to a 0-0 draw in the Premier League opener for both clubs at Old Trafford. With Reading reduced to 10 men following the 73rd-minute ejection of Dave Kitson, Hahnemann goes to his right to save a 25-yard free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo and then recovers to save Paul Scholes's header. In injury time, he dives left to block a low shot from Michael Carrick. "He made some fantastic saves," says Man United manager Alex Ferguson. "He's experienced, he's confident. It was just one of those days."

Raney, Soriano Inducted to HoF
February 4, 2005

Bruce Raney and Sergio Soriano, the goalscorer and goalkeeper, respectively, of Seattle Pacific's first NCAA championship team are inducted into Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. SPU was the state's first national champion in 1978 with Raney scoring the overtime winner and fellow freshman Soriano getting the shutout in 1-0 victory over Alabama A&M. Soriano graduated as the career shutouts leader (42) and Raney still holds career goals record (68).

Solo Earns First WPS Keeper Assist
August 9, 2009

Hope Solo both backstops and sparks St. Louis Athletica’s attack in a 1-1 draw against San Jose’s FC Gold Pride. Solo’s long punt finds Christie Welsh for the game’s first goal, making her the first WPS goalkeeper to be credited with an assist. Solo goes on to make nine saves in the game.

First Women's National Team Announced
September 22, 1983

Five members of Seattle's FC Lowenbrau Zurich become members of the first U.S. Women's National Team. Named are defender Denise Bender midfielders Kerri Hunt and Sharon McMurtry and forwards Joan Dunlap and Lisa Jones. Mike Ryan, the Lowenbrau coach recently named the first USWNT head coach, makes the selections following a showcase tournament in Washington, D.C. Plans to host a tournament and play the initial games in January 1984 are later scrubbed due to lack of funds.

Tacoma Votes for Dome of Its Own
March 18, 1980

Tacoma voters approve a $28 million bond measure to build a minidome. The “dome of our own” campaign passes with 70 percent approval from city residents. A 20,000-seat stadium will be located along Interstate 5 in the Hawthorne area. Three previous ballot measures failed, including a 1976 bond that was rejected Pierce County-wide.

Peter Fewing returned to coach Seattle University in 2012 after resigning six years earlier. (Courtesy Seattle University Athletics)
2012
Seattle set a Guinness World Record for participants in a soccer clinic when 1,038 individuals crowded onto Pier 62 on June 16, 2025. (Maddy Grassy/Sounders FC)
2025
1964
In 2001, Sounders ownership envisioned construction of a suburban soccer-specific stadium with a surrounding youth complex. Among the locations considered were Fife and Kent. (Frank MacDonald Collection)
2001
The U.S. National Team finds itself under constant pressure from Poland at Memorial Stadium.
1975
Cam Weaver of the Sounders led the league with 18 goals and was voted USL-1 Rookie of the Year. (Courtesy USL)
2006
Whitman won a share of its first Northwest League title in 37 years in 2018. (Courtesy Northwest Conference)
2018
1992 FIFA Futsal World Cup runner-up United States, featuring Seattle's Andy Schmetzer (back row, fourth from right).
1992
Bethany Balcer was an attacking force down the stretch for Sounders Women in 2018. Balcer scored twice to cinch the division title and added a goal in the win to clinch the Western Conference. (Courtesy Sounders Women)
2018
David Wittrell of Seattle Pacific became the first male to earn All-America distinction for a Washington college. (Courtesy Seattle Pacific)
1985