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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Western Stopped in NCAA D2 Final
December 14, 2019

A golden goal in the 107th minute gives Grand Valley State a 1-0 victory over Western Washington in the NCAA Division II women's championship game at Pittsburgh. The Vikings fire-off 26 shots yet are held scoreless for just the second time on the season. Lakers goalkeeper Jessica Radice stops eight of those shots to secure the crown. WWU also generated 11 of its 12 corner kicks in the second half. WWU ended the 2019 season with a 23-3-0 record, recording the second-most wins in program history. Gianna Parlove is the hero for Grand Valley State, which win its Division II-leading sixth national championship and its first since 2015. With the game scoreless, Payton Neal hits the crossbar from distance in the 51st minute and just four minutes for the winner, Western's Karli White sends a shot off the left post. The Vikings had beaten Flagler College, 2-0, for their 23rd win in the semifinals. Grace Eversaul and White scored for WWU.

Kinoshita Breaks New Ground
April 26, 1997

Kei Kinoshita comes on as Sounders first-half substitute vs. Colorado, becoming first Japanese player to play professionally for a U.S. team. Kinoshita, 25, had played for Vissel Kobe of the J League. He first became acquainted with Seattle when Vissel Kobe played the Sounders in a 1995 exhibition.

Norselander Crowned Champs
February 21, 1954

The Norselander Vikings win their first state championship in three years, beating E&E Meats, 3-1, for the McMillan Cup at Lower Woodland. The Vikings had won the first half of the season and finished third to E&E and Buchan in the second half.

Leyva, 15, Signs with Sounders 2
October 16, 2018

Sounders Academy midfielder Danny Leyva, 15, signs with Seattle Sounders 2, becoming the seventh member of the national-championship winning U17 side to sign with the club’s USL team. Leyva split time between the Sounders Academy U15s and U17s throughout the 2017-18 season, playing in every playoff match for the U17s as they secured the club’s first ever U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship in July. A well-rounded, box-to-box midfielder, Leyva totaled 11 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.

US Beats Ecuador at CLink
June 16, 2016

Scoring the opener and setting-up the winner, Clint Dempsey stars in America's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Ecuador before 47,322 at CenturyLink Field. In terms of prize money, it's the most important game to ever be played in Seattle, with the victor assured of earning $1 million to reach the semifinals. Dempsey puts the USMNT ahead in the 22nd minute on a header from the penalty spot. In the 65th minute he drives a ball that Gyasi Zardes nods in for a 2-nil lead. Brad Guzan makes two stops, notably a kick-save in first-half stoppage time. The U.S. goes on to take fourth place. Seattle's DeAndre Yedlin misses the game after being sent off vs. Paraguay June 11.

Crossfire Redmond Reaches NPSL Final
July 30, 2022

Continuing a string of postseason upsets, Crossfire Redmond blanks Muskegon Riser, 3-0, in Muskegon, Michigan, to reach the NPSL final for the first time. Christian Soto's 20-yard blast and Omar Grey's weaving run and finish put the visitors up 2-nil after 34 minutes. River Stewart completes the scoring in the 76th minute. After taking second in their division, Crossfire upset Pacific Conference top seed International Portland in overtime, 3-2, then FC Arizona (4-0) and San Francisco's El Farolito in penalties, 2-2 (4-2).

With the opening of Interbay Stadium, Seattle Pacific has a permanent home for the first time in 29 years. (Joanie Komura photo)
1997
Marcus Hahnemann exhorts his defense while playing before a hometown crowd for the U.S. National Team. The USMNT defeats Cuba, 3-1, in a Gold Cup match at Qwest Field. (Courtesy Michael Pimentel / ISI Photos)
2005
Brian Schmetzer guides the Sounders to their second USL 1 championship in three seasons in 2007.
2007
1952
Revelers celebrate Reign star Megan Rapinoe's opening goal in the 2019 World Cup final vs the Netherlands at a Reign/Washington State Legends of Soccer-hosted watch party at Seattle's Rhein Haus. (Courtesy Leann Johnson)
2019
Jaclyn Softli's 10 goals helped Washington return to the NCAA tournament in 2014. The Huskies reached the third round. (Courtesy Washington Athletics)
2014
West Seattle began fielding teams in the state league during the Twenties, and this 1928 side won both the league and knockout cup. (Courtesy Pep Peery/Mike Mikkelsen)
1949
Fredy Montero took Seattle by storm in Sounders FC's inaugural match, scoring twice. (Sounders FC photo)
2009
Action from a physical education class at Renton's Bryn Mawr Elementary.(Courtesy Seattle Times)
1966
Walter Schmetzer's U14 Lake City Hawks. (Courtesy Walter Schmetzer)
1976