Academies Go Unbeaten

The Sounders FC U18 Academy went 1-0-1 and the U16s went 2-0-0 for another unbeaten weekend for the Academy teams at Starfire.

It was another successful weekend for  the Sounders FC Academy teams.  The two teams went unbeaten in San Jose, winning three of their four matches to remain unbeaten in MLS Academy play.

The Sounders FC U-18 squad topped Cal Odyssey 3-0 at Starfire on Sunday getting goals from Brandon Brockway, Darwin Jones and Sean Okoli while Ryan Herman posted the clean sheet.

Brockway got things started in the 33rd minute when he was on the right end of a Nick Palodichuk corner kick.  Brockway headed it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead.  Two minutes later, the Sounders would add another when Okoli set up Jones.

Palodichuk then set up Okoli for an insurance goal in the 75th minute and Herman came up with a big save in the 79th minute to finish off the shutout.

The clean sheet capped a scoreless weekend for Herman, who also shut out the San Jose Earthquakes Academy on Saturday, despite playing down a man from the 12th minute when they picked up a red card.  Herman came up with a huge stop in the 54th minute and blocked a PK in the 80th minute to earn his first of two shutouts on the weekend.

However, Seattle was unable to muster a goal of their own, despite out-shooting San Jose 22-7, and they had to settle for the 0-0 draw.

The Sounders FC U-16 team, meanwhile, posted two victories while outscoring their opponents 6-2.

On Sunday it was a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over Cal Odyssey after they went into halftime trailing 1-0.  Jess Klug provided a physical presence up front and netted two goals while Michael Gallagher maintained his strong showing at the back.

Klug scored on a 25-yard rocket in the 41st minute to even the score.  Connor Adkisson made a huge save in the 43rd minute, then set up Klug for the go-ahead goal on a long punt in the 50th minute that Klug put into the net for his second goal of the day.

Gallagher scored on a header off a pass from Ian Lange in the 60th minute and Ike Crook rounded out the scoring in the 75th minute on an assist from Jalen Markey for the final 4-1 tally.

In Saturday’s match with San Jose, Lange and Gallagher locked down the Earthquakes, while Crook had a goal and an assist and Austin Sweeney added a goal of his own in a 2-1 victory for the Sounders FC.

It was an early barrage of scoring that gave Seattle the win as Sweeney converted a cross from Crook in the 15th minute to make it 1-0 and Crook finished a cross from Klug in the 16th minute to give Seattle the 2-0 lead.

San Jose would score on a scramble in front of the net just before halftime, but Keenan Tonwnsend came up with a big save in the 60th minute to preserve the win.