Seattle Sounders midfielder Peter Hattrup is named A-League MVP and teammate Marcus Hahnemann is named goalkeeper of the year. Hattrup, 31, led the league with 11 goals and eight assists. Hahnemann, 23, had a 1.00 goals-against average to earn his second straight award. Both are former Seattle Pacific University stars.

Unbeaten Portland (19-0-2) reaches its second straight NCAA final four by beating Maryland, 1-0, as Lacey's Jody Dutra sets-up Shannon MacMillan for the only score at Merlo Field. Dutra returning from an injury that had kept her out the previous three games, comes off bench in 34th minute and the goal happens three minutes later. Dutra and Spokane’s Kim Stiles also fired near-misses for the Pilots.

Major League Soccer targets March 31, 1996, for its inaugural kickoff of the 10-team Division I league. Dallas, Denver and Kansas City are named as the final three homes for MLS, which will also have franchises in Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, San Jose, Tampa Bay and Washington. Initially a viable candidate, Seattle is bypassed due to the lack of a suitable grass playing facility.

Bill Crook converts his first career shootout attempt to send the Sounders through to the A-League finals after sweeping Vancouver. Seattle won the first leg away, 1-0, and Crook is the difference in the second leg's draw (0-0, 3-2). After Marcus Hahnemann saves the final three 86ers attempts, Crook drills low past Paul Dolan. Gary Heale, who scored the winner in the first leg, scores in the fourth round to avert defeat. Seattle loses Wade Webber for the remainder of the playoffs to a knee injury in first half.

Johann Noetzel makes five saves during a scoreless regulation and two overtime periods, then another in the decisive fifth round of penalties as Highline takes the 2A state crown at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup. Prior to Noetzel's save, Tony Pyle converted. The Pirates (18-3-0) claim their first state championship since 1981 by beating Mount Rainier (19-2-1) 0-0 5-4.

Michelle French of Kennedy High School becomes a two-time Parade Magazine All-America. French, bound for the University of Portland, scored 22 goals and 28 assists as a senior for the Lancers to win the 1994-95 state 2A title. She also earned the honor as a sophomore.

Michelle Akers easily scores as the USWNT defeats Australia, 4-2, in the U.S. Women's Cup at New Brunswick, N.J. It's Akers's third goal since returning from a concussion sustained at the World Cup. The win set-up a rematch with World Cup winner Norway in the tournament final, which the Americans win, 2-1. Akers finishes the year with 15 goals in 18 appearances.

A benefit match for earthquake relief versus Vissel Kobe of the J-League also serves as a swan song for outgoing Sounders stars. Over 7,000 attend the friendly, won by Seattle, 3-2, at Memorial Stadium. Neil Megson gets the winner in the 80th minute. Peter Hattrup, Brian Haynes and Shawn Medved takes their bows before leaving to join MLS clubs. Seattle sister city Kobe, Japan had been rocked in January by a tremor that killed 4,600. Proceeds from the game raise $20,000.

Amy Sprague lifts Evergreen over Portland State by scoring five goals in a 7-4 win in Olympia. Behind the 1-2 punch of Sprague (24 goals) and Camille Morgan (23), the Geoducks go 12-8-0, an improvement of nine wins over the previous season.

A vacant lot between SeaTac and Kent is identified a the potential site of a $20 million, 20,000-seat soccer stadium. In December, the City of SeaTac filed papers to annex the land near Orillia Road and South 200th Street, adjacent to Interstate 5. Vince Coluccio, former NASL Sounders owner, owns the land.

Marcus Hahnemann makes four stops in the shootout as the Sounders extend their win streak to seven A-League matches on the road before 10,705 at Colorado, the largest crowd of the season. Seattle gets shootout goals from Neil Megson, Shawn Medved and Jason Farrell to prevail (0-0, 3-1). Regulation and overtime end scoreless as Peter Hattrup twice hits the post and David Hoggan also draws iron.

A 7th-minute strike from Scott Jenkins from a Jason Boyce corner kick sets the tone in Washington's 2-0 win over Seattle Pacific. The Huskies score again in the 59th minute when Bryan McNiel takes a Boyce throw-in and blasts past SPU goalkeeper Johann Noetzel. The victory at Husky Soccer Field extends the UW unbeaten streak to 11 games (8-0-3) and cinches a return to the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence.

Kasey Keller makes several key saves as the United States stuns Argentina, 3-0, to win its Copa America group in Paysandu, Uruguay. Keller notches his second shutout in three matches since his return to the USMNT. Goals by Frank Klopas, Alexi Lalas and Eric Wynalda hand Argentina its first loss of the tournament. Keller had also started in the 2-1 win over Chile six days earlier.

Top-of-the-table Seattle extends over second-place Atlanta just before the all-star break, routing the Ruckus, 4-0, on the road. Shawn Medved, who hadn't scored a goal this season in 11 games, drills a 24-yard shot over Bill Andracki in the 12th minute. three minutes later all-Star defender John Doyle is sent off for tackling Dick McCormick on a breakaway. Later, McCormick suffers torn knee ligaments after his studs stick when he tries to change direction. Peter Hattrup scores a pair of second-half goals and Chance Fry gets a goal in his third straight match.

Seattle celebrates its first professional soccer national championship as the Sounders rally to tie Atlanta and then win the series-deciding shootout, 1-1 2-1. The Ruckus specialized in tiebreakers, winning 11 of 12 during the regular season and playoffs, including a shootout vs. Seattle in Game 1 of the A-League series. The Sounders go down a goal early, and with 5,115 fans urging them on, do not equalize until Jason Farrell, a 68th minute substitute, scores in the 82nd minute. David Hoggan and Peter Hattrup convert the first two shootout attempts and Marcus Hahnemann stops Lenin Steenkamp in the fourth round to clinch the trophy and trigger a friendly pitch invasion. Hahnemann is voted series MVP and is one of 13 players raised in Washington.

Western Washington's Shonna Hall is named Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference player of the year after leading her team with 18 goals and two assists. Hall, a senior from Renton, accounted for nearly half of the Vikings' 37 goals in a 10-5-1 season. Her 52 career goals are No. 2 all-time.

Michelle Akers, playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in nearly two years, scores three goals and adds an assist in a 7-0 USWNT romp over Denmark in Orlando. It's the the first hat trick since the 1991 World Cup for Akers, who has been recuperating from a bout with Epstein-Barr Syndrome. She has six hat tricks altogether.

Spokane secures a USISL Pro Division franchise for the coming season. The Shadow will play their home games at Spokane Falls Community College and will be coached by Einar Thorarinsson. Jeff Heimbigner, president of the Skyhawks Sports Academy, is general manager. Although there are veterans Chris Stiles and Dave Berto, many players will come from the local colleges and will receive no pay.

Dion Earl scores a hat trick and Marcelo Fontana and Vasco Rubio each net two goals to lead the SeaDogs to an 8-4 victory at Portland to wrap-up Seattle's first season. Seattle (12-16) finishes fourth in the Western Division, a game ahead of the Pride (11-17). The two teams split their four-game series.

King County Executive Gary Locke signs a 30-year contract allowing the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association to operate and upgrade soccer fields at 60 Acres Park in Redmond. The association had leased 16 soccer fields at the park for 10 years but wanted a longer-term agreement to go forward on plans to upgrade the fields. More than 11,000 young people ages 6 to 18 participated last year in soccer programs offered by LWYSA and Northshore Youth Soccer Association, which also uses the 60 Acres fields.

Bellevue Christian's Rees Bettinger, who scored 24 goals as a junior, is named Gatorade State Player of the Year. Bettinger later scores in the state 1A/B final victory over Seattle Christian, 2-0. It's Bellevue Christian's third title in five years.

Ushering in a new era of U.S. Open Cup play, the A-League-leading Seattle Sounders host third-division Everett BigFoot in the U.S. Open Cup first round at Kirkland's Lake Washington High School. Seattle erupts for five goals – three by Shawn Medved – during the first half and goes on to win, 9-2. Both BigFoot goals, by Danny Machado, after the Sounders pull a player off in the final few minutes.

With three USISL Pro Division teams starting-up in Washington, rules experimentation will be on display in Everett, Spokane and Yakima. Games are 60 minutes, with an official clock used for all stoppages. Shootouts are awarded for every seventh foul or a professional (breakaway) foul. For all free kicks inside 35 yards, walls must be 15 yards away. Team may elect to use kick-ins instead of throw-ins. FIFA approves of all changes.

Laethe Al-Rashid comes off the bench to score two goals in the final eight minutes of the first half, and Cascade proceeds to roll over Gonzaga Prep, 4-0, in the state 3A championship game at Veradale. An Nuon gives the Bruins a lead in the eighth minute before Al-Rashid blows it open. Nick Parker adds a second-half goal for Cascade (15-1-4), which secures its third state title and first since 1989.

Seattle's Wynne McIntosh scores in the second minute and fellow Washingtonians Jody Dutra (Lacey) and Justi Baumgardt (Federal Way) also score in the University of Portland's 4-2 NCAA semifinal win over SMU at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Pilots, who got an assist from Kent's Michelle French, reach the first national championship game in school history. Notre Dame defeats UP, 1-0.

Kasey Keller saves John Spencer's fifth-round penalty kick, allowing Millwall to upset Chelsea in a replay at Stamford Bridge. Keller comfortably stopped Spencer with a dive to his left. The teams have drawn their first time around and finish 1-1 after regulation in the replay, forcing a penalty tiebreaker which the Lions win, 5-4. Angry Chelsea fans invade the pitch after Keller's save, tearing down the goal.

Jean Harbor becomes the Seattle SeaDogs' first four-goal scorer in an 8-5 win at Detroit. Harbor, returning from a one-game suspension, scores just 31 seconds into the game off a feed from Michael Collins, who extended his league-leading assist streak to 14 straight games. The win snaps a three-game win streak while extending the Neon's woes to 12 consecutive losses.

Nate Daligcon scores twice, including the go-ahead goal with 35 minutes left, as No. 7 Seattle Pacific University wins its fourth straight game, 3-2 over Air Force at Colorado Springs. SPU never trails, going in front twice in the first half on goals by Daligcon and Ricci Greenwood, who scores for the fourth straight match. The Falcons finish the regular season by winning eight of their final 10 games to finish 13-6 and make the playoffs for a NCAA Division II record 22nd time in 24 years.

Emily Thompson scores two goals, including the game winner seven minutes into overtime, leading Washington to a 5-3 victory over Michigan State. The victory clinches the second straight Husky/Umbro Invitational tournament title. UW had blanked Penn State, 5-0, to start the tournament. Angie Crivello scored two goals three minutes apart and the Huskies had four scores in a total of eight minutes.

A capacity crowd of 3,291 sees hometown favorite Michelle Akers and the U.S. Women's National Team shrug-off a physical display by Brazil for a 3-0 win at Tacoma's Franklin Pierce High School. Mia Hamm scores two goals and Tisha Venturini adds another. It's the first USWNT appearance in Washington and comes just three weeks before the Americans defend the World Cup championship in Sweden. Tickets had been sold-out for weeks, even after adding more temporary seats, priced $15 for adults and $8 for youths under 19.

Bobby Brett, head of the minor league Spokane Chiefs (hockey) and Indians (baseball) ownership groups, buys out 34 investors for majority ownership of the USISL Spokane Shadow. Despite finishing 4-8 in its inaugural season, the Shadow made some promising inroads at the gate with an average attendance of more than 1,800.

Everett gets a USISL Pro Division franchise, the 60-team, five- division third tier of the U.S pyramid. Bill Hurme, former director for the Sounders, buys the team, named BigFoot, and hires Pat Henderson as coach. Vija Hurme will serve as GM and the team will play at Memorial Stadium.

Carolyn Jenkins squeezes a shot just inside the post with 12 minutes remaining, and Washington moves past UCLA, 2-1, on the road in an NCAA first-round game. Tara Bilanski assists on both goals, including Erin Pochman's opener, for the Huskies, winners for the eighth time in nine games.

Chance Fry's two goals, one in each half, enable the Sounders to stay alive in their A-League championship series with a 3-0 win over Atlanta before 4,626 at Memorial Stadium. Seattle lost the series opener in a shootout but dominated throughout Game 2. Fry's opener in the 25th minute from Peter Hattrup's header proves to be the winner. The Ruckus play with 10 men after a 41st minute red card. Fry and Jason Dunn seal it with goals in the 84th and 86th minutes.

Freshman Jenny Skinner's goal 59 seconds into overtime carries Lakeside to a 1-0 win over Olympia (17-2-1) in the state Class AA/A girls' title game at Shoreline Stadium. Goalie Sarah Peterson earns the shutout without making a save. It's the first state championship for Lakeside (17-1-1).

Shawn Medved's two goals help end the Sounders five-game winless skid by winning, 3-1, at first-place Montreal. It's the third win (one by shootout) over the Impact. Peter Hattrup gives the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute on his 10th goal of the year. Medved doubles the advantage from 23 yards in the 62nd minute and tacks-on his second in 90th. The victory assures Seattle of at least sole possession of second place and improves the Sounders' record to 15-6 (42 points).

Presidents from the eight Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges members vote to apply for membership in NCAA Division III. There is a three-year waiting period under NCAA regulations, meaning the earliest the NCIC could be eligible to play in the NCAA postseason is 1998-99. During the waiting period, NCIC schools would carry dual membership, continuing to play in the NAIA for postseason.

Pam Ruark's fifth-round penalty gives Shorecrest the slimmest of margins in the state 3A girls final at Shoreline Stadium. The Scots (21-0-0) earn their fifth state championship, including three in 2A, by tying defending champion Bellarmine (20-1-0), 2-2, after two overtimes and prevailing 5-4 in the shootout. It snaps a 40-game winning streak by the Lions, ranked No. 3 in the nation. Mary Boerner scored both goals for Bellarmine, including the game-tying goal midway through the second half. Shorecrest scored twice in the final 15 minutes of the first half, each time taking advantage of a Bellarmine foul. Sierra Marsh and Natalie Campbell hit for the Scots.

Michael Collins's free kick 3:19 into overtime gives the Seattle SeaDogs a victory, 6-5 over San Jose, in their inaugural CISL game before 3,529 at the Center Arena. Vasco Rubio ties the score with two minutes left in regulation after Seattle pulled its goalkeeper for a sixth attacker. Wearing their purple and green uniforms, the SeaDogs players enter the Arena through a 27-foot inflatable mascot bulldog, spotlights and artificial fog.

Heavily favored Seattle Sounders, leaders of the A-League, are stunned by the USISL El Paso Patriots in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Gabino Amparan's header in the 17th minute wins it in heat reaching 103 degrees. Seattle is without star forward Jason Dunn, who suffered a broken nose in the quarterfinal 10 days earlier vs Chico Rooks. "The heat was a big-time factor, and I doubt if any of our guys have ever played in this type of weather,'' says Sounders coach Alan Hinton. "We are not going to use the heat as an excuse. I put together the best lineup I had available to me and sometimes these results happen in the game of soccer."

Michael Rundquist scores his second goal of the match with a little less than 3 minutes remaining to give the Yakima Reds a 3-2 victory over Spokane in the Shadow's home opener before 2,000 fans. Dave Berto and Chris Stiles score for Spokane. Yakima's opener was a header from Eric Reesman.

Italian superstar Roberto Baggio performs the ceremonial first kick for the Sounders-Montreal match as part of his visit to Seattle. Baggio recently signed with sportswear brand Diadora, whose American headquarters is in Kent. Baggio is greeted by youth players at SeaTac Airport earlier in the day. Baggio scored five goals and became an international sensation during Italy's run to the World Cup final a year earlier.

Seattle's Chance Fry comes off the bench to score goals 90 seconds apart to win at Vancouver, 2-1. Down 1-nil, Fry enters the match in the 63rd minute and equalizes eight minutes later. The Sounders go in front when Wade Webber overlaps and finds Fry for his ninth goal in the 72nd minute.

The expansion SeaDogs are eliminated from CISL playoff contention with a 5-4 overtime loss at division champion Sacramento. Knights midfielder Paul Wright scores the winner unassisted. It's Seattle's fourth straight road loss. The SeaDogs had won three of four to stay in contention for the West's third postseason slot, clinched by Las Vegas.

One month before the Sounders' A-League season begins, Memorial Stadium is cleared for spectator use after being closed for several weeks. A January 5.0 earthquake damaged the 48-year-old facility, causing cracks in the roof and pieces of concrete to fall into the grandstands. The seating areas were then closed March 10 during Metro League boys' games. Seattle School District will string a system of nets under the grandstand roofs, costing $140,000 and paid for by users, including the Sounders, Seattle Center, and concert promoters. The Sounders, who move two preseason games to Renton, host Colorado May 6.