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.

What are you looking for?
Donate Now!
Explore our history. Click on any of the panels below to learn what happened that year.
Barons Go the Distance
April 10, 1977

Mueller Barons win the State Challenge Cup over Ghirardelli following an 11-round penalty kick tiebreaker at Memorial Stadium. Ghirardelli erases a 2-0 halftime deficit on goals by Kit Zell and Dave Ellis. Barons had gone ahead through Kelly Gordon and Tim Allen. Ed Tonkin scores the decisive penalty.

Henderson Helps UCLA Reach NCAA Semi
November 25, 1990

Chris Henderson's first-half goal gives UCLA all the offense necessary to dispatch Southern Methodist from the NCAA quarterfinals. Henderson's fifth goal of his sophomore season comes in the 27th minute. The Bruins go on to win their 39th straight at home, 2-0.

Man United's Busby Visits
June 15, 1953

Matt Busby, Manchester United manager, conducts a coaching clinic on behalf of USSF at Seattle auditorium (5th & Wall). The Busby Babes had won the 1952 English first division and Busby had managed the 1948 Great Britain team to the semifinals of the Olympic Games.

PLU Clinches NCAA Berth
October 30, 2011

Chad Kearns scores twice and assists on Pacific Lutheran's third goal in a tournament berth-clinching, 3-0 win at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. The Lutes tie for first with Whitworth but swept the Pirates for the NWC tiebreaker and NCAA Division III automatic berth. PLU last reached a national tournament stage in NAIA in 1992.

Decatur Responds, Then Repeats
May 25, 2002

Down a goal with 22 minutes to go, a determined Decatur of Federal Way scores twice in three minutes to repeat as state 4A boys champion, 3-2 over Spokane's Lewis & Clark at Everett Memorial Stadium. Alex Chursky delivers the game-winner after Kyle Colbath ties it. The Tigers had forged a 2-1 lead through Grant Lundberg and Matt Ross penalty. The Gators' (20-0-2) unbeaten streak reaches 44 games. Their coach, Jimmy McAlister, watches the final minutes from the stands after being sent off for complaining about rough play.

Novack Sparks Scots to 3A Title
May 30, 2009

Jeremy Novack scores shortly before and after halftime in leading Shorecrest past West Valley, 5-2, at Lakewood. It is the Scots’ second 3A state championship in the past five years. Shorecrest jumps on top in the first 12 minutes on goals from Ian Adams and Jonathan Cho. Novack and Eli Blauser then double the lead by the break. The Scots finish 22-1-0.

Shari Noah (l) scored the winning goal for Pacific Lutheran in the 1989 NAIA championship match (Courtesy PLU archives)
1989
Seattle-Portland attracted 66,452, the second-largest crowd in MLS history for a stand-alone game, in 2012. (Courtesy Sounders FC)
2012
If Mike Ryan (far left) wasn't coaching the University of Washington or a state men's league club, he could likely be found doing so with a youth team such as Mercedes Benz.
1972
Alan Hinton was fired by new owner Bruce Anderson after leading the Sounders to Soccer Bowl the previous season.
1983
Osvaldo Alonso quickly establishes himself as one of the most tenacious players, here going nose to nose with New York's Macoumba Kandji.
2009
Andy (left) and Walter Schmetzer congratulate their older brother and Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer at Washington Legends of Soccer's This Is Your Life: Brian Schmetzer event at Seattle's Market Arms. (Courtesy WA Legends)
2017
Seattle Pacific celebrates a golden goal from Janae Godoy (raised hand) in the NCAA Division II final at Tampa. (Courtesy NCAA)
2008
Mark Peterson celebrating one of his final goals for Seattle.
1983
Following the murder of George Floyd, DeAndre Yedlin, here at Newcastle, joined teams and players around the world in taking a knee before matches.
2020
Many Washingtonians attended 1999 World Cup matches, including the record 90,185 in the Rose Bowl for the USA-China final. (Frank MacDonald)
1999