Bellingham's Sandra Hunt receives her biggest assignment yet, refereeing the Japan-Russia group stage match of the FIFA Women's World Cup before friends and family at Portland's Civic Stadium. Hunt also referees the Australia-China match June 26 at East Rutherford, N.J., sending off an Australian in the second minute – a World Cup record.

West Seattle's Nancy Mikacenic assists on the winning goal of Notre Dame's 1-0 NCAA semifinal win over previously undefeated Santa Clara in San Jose. Mikacenic comes off the bench and finds Ali Lovelace in the 74th minute with her 10th assist of her freshman season. The Irish are defeated by North Carolina, 2-0, in the final. Kennewick's Meotis Erikson starts both games at forward for Notre Dame.

With some 400 youth players and well-wishers looking on in Olympia, Governor Gary Locke proclaims Michelle Akers Day in the State of Washington. Twelve days earlier, Akers was awarded the World Cup Bronze Ball following the United States victory over China in the final. Akers says she is moved by the kids' handmade signs and wild cheers. She is back in her home state working at Cliff McCrath's Northwest Soccer Camp.

Former A-League MVP Mark Baena is traded by the Sounders following two prolific scoring seasons in Seattle. Baena is exchanged for two players, two draft picks and an undisclosed sum of money. Baena, a computer engineer, resides in Southern California and had been training at home, then commuting to Sounders games. He totaled 44 goals and 11 assists in 52 games in all competitions and was voted 1998 league MVP.

After allowing an early goal from Jason Boyce, Seattle reels off four goals in the final 28 minutes of the first half all during a 6-3 romp over the Orange County Zodiac in a first-round A-League playoffs at Renton. Sean Henderson starts and finishes the spree, beginning with a 17th-minute header and culminating with a penalty kick 46 seconds before the break. In between, Mark Baena and an own goal are tallied. Russell’s brace comes in the second half, when the Zodiac unravel with two red cards. Boyce, the former UW star, gives OC a fifth-minute lead.

Shoreline's Michelle Akers goes to the top of the FIFA Women's World Cup career scoring list when she scores versus Nigeria in Chicago. The United States scores five first-half goals, including the 23rd of Akers's World Cup career, during a 7-1 rout.

Cliff McCrath claims his 500th career coaching victory as Seattle Pacific parlays second-half goals from Cory Janzen and Alex Vandamme to down Simon Fraser, 2-0, at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. McCrath becomes only the second coach in collegiate history to reach the milestone. San Francisco's Steve Negoesco has 533 victories. He has been coaching since 1958 and arrived at SPU in 1970.

Playing in front of a big, raucous crowd in Azteca Stadium, Kasey Keller makes some superb saves to hold Mexico level for more than 90 minutes in the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal. Keller makes two difficult stops in the first 12 minutes and another early in the second half to keep El Tri scoreless while wearing the U.S. captain’s armband for the third time in eight days. Finally in extra time, Cuauhtemoc Blanco breaks through by collecting his own rebound and scoring from point-blank range for a 1-0 win over the Americans. Mexico proceeds to beat Brazil, 4-3, to win the tournament.

Melissa Bennett's hat trick powers Seattle Christian to a seventh consecutive state girls' 1A/B championship, 4-1, over Bellevue Christian at Auburn. Bennett finishes as the state career scoring leader across all divisions with 166 goals, including 50 as a senior. Her older sister Tami had held the previous mark. Seattle Christian's only on-field loss (they had five forfeits) was to 3A runner-up Mount Rainier.

Yakima's West Valley cements its dynasty by repeating as state boys' 3A champion with a 4-2 victory over Liberty at Seattle's Husky Soccer Field. It's the Rams' fourth straight final and fourth title in seven seasons. At 2-2 late in the first half, Mike Schefter takes a centering ball from Nick Hughes to give West Valley the lead. Casey Chronister heads in Seth Burke's cross in the 77th minute. Scott Grazier scores both Liberty goals. It's the first 3A repeat winner since Mount Rainier in 1989.

Michelle Akers is sidelined after fracturing three small bones near her left eye during a FIFA all-star match in San Jose. Akers and Norway's Linda Medalen hit heads during a corner kick, and Akers receives 25 stitches to close the cut over her eye. She leaves after 19 minutes and the world all-stars proceed to win, 2-1, over the U.S. Originally thought to be out 4-6 weeks, Akers rejoins the USWNT exactly four weeks later as a substitute vs. Sweden in the Algarve Cup opener.

John Hall's goal in the 40th minute enables Seattle Hibernian soccer team to tie the local favorites from Mexico, 1-1, to clinch the Copa Del Sol tournament championship in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.

Bagging his first multi-goal game in four years, Peter Hattrup helps the Sounders snap out of an offensive slump with a 3-1 win at winless Sacramento. Although the Geckos score first, Hattrup answers in the 17th and 23rd minutes. Seattle (6-5) had scored just once the previous four outings, three of them losses. Mark Baena scores in the 38th minute but sees his second yellow card in the 48th.

Cory Janzen slots home the overtime winner in Seattle Pacific's 2-1 win over Wheaton, the No. 1 team in Division III. SPU, ranked No. 5 in Div. II, comes from behind to hand the Crusaders just their second defeat in 82 games. Twelve minutes after Wheaton ends the Falcons' streak of 293 defensive scoreless minutes, Alex Vandamme levels the score. Then Janzen wins it 11 minutes into overtime. Together, Seattle Pacific's Cliff McCrath and Wheaton's Joe Bean total 997 coaching victories, including seven national championships.

Bryn Ritchie's late header is the difference as Washington edges crosstown foe Seattle Pacific, 1-0, before 1,373 at Husky Soccer Field. Ritchie connects with a Ben Somoza corner kick in the 87th minute. SPU, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II, musters only two shots. The Falcons had won the previous year at Interbay. It proves to be the last annual meeting between the intracity rivals, who first played in 1968.

Jake Sagare scores twice to send Washington into the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 3-2 victory over Portland at Husky Soccer Field. Sagare, who had only scored two goals previously, puts UW up, 3-1, in the 83rd minute. It's the third unanswered goal for the Huskies, winners of 10 straight. Portland scores in the first minute, but Washington gets goals from Sagare and Rees Bettinger six minutes apart to take the lead by halftime.

Seattle Sounders announce a partnership with Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga. The relationship will include a player exchange program, youth camps, coaching clinics, matches and exchange of information. Bremen initiated the exchange by sending Alexander Nouri, a 19-year-old German midfielder, to the Sounders. The agreement is the most extensive of any U.S.-based team with a German club.

Seattle BigFoot owner Bill Hurme announces that the PDL club is now affiliated with the Seattle Sounders, providing greater opportunities for the A-League team's developmental players. As part of the arrangement, the BigFoot becomes the Sounders Selects.

Ian Russell continues his torrid scoring stretch and the Seattle Sounders continue their late-season surge with a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Rampage at Renton. Russell puts the Sounders on the board in the 22nd minute, with a high-bouncing shot over onrushing Milwaukee keeper Jason Burdge. It's Russell's eighth goal in as many games. Bill May saves Jon Szczepanski's attempted penalty kick in the 30th minute. A second-half own goal completes the scoring.

Kasey Keller stops a penalty kick, opening the door to a 1-0 U.S. National team win over Argentina in Washington, D.C. Keller stutter-steps to his right then goes left to save Gustavo Lopez's penalty attempt in the 42nd minute. He finishes with seven saves. Joe Max-Moore comes off the bench to score the winner in the 88th minute.

Carlos Farias and the San Diego Flash are ruthless in drubbing the 10-man Sounders, 6-0, in a second-round playoff series opener. Farias scores an opponent record four times, and it’s the worst domestic defeat in Seattle’s A-League era. Chugger Adair strikes first for the host Flash, in the third minute. Once Oliver Heald is sent off, San Diego quickly capitalizes on a Farias long-range shot. He adds a second-half hat trick. It’s San Diego’s third convincing win over Seattle, and a week later in Renton comes another shutout, 1-0, to clinch the series.

Eastern Washington finds its goal under siege at Missoula, with Montana levying a record 37 shots in a 4-0 Big Sky win. Eagles keeper Katie Grothkopp manages to save 20 shots, an EWU record. Eastern has lost 11 of its first 12 matches, allowing 35 goals.

A penalty kick from Michelle Akers all but seals U.S. passage to the World Cup final with a 2-0 semifinal win over Brazil on Independence Day at Palo Alto, Calif. Akers does all the gritty work in midfield and makes a key first-half clearance to deny Sissi. Her flick finds Mia Hamm, who is fouled to set up the 80th-minute penalty. The Americans lead virtually from the outset as Cindy Parlow scores the opener in the fifth minute.

Goals from John Hall and Chad Zlateff give Seattle Hibernian a 2-2 draw at Vancouver Explorers to earn the Pacific Coast League championship. After winning their first 10 games, Hibernian finish 13-2-2 in league play for their second title in four years.

Richland's Hope Solo stops 11 shots as the United States beats Mexico, 1-0, for the Pan American Games gold medal in Winnipeg. Solo, who will be a freshman at Washington, fully extends to block a shot by Iris Mora in the 53rd minute, and her diving save on a shot in the penalty area by Fatima Leyva in the 87th preserved the win. Catherine Reddick made an uncanny series of moves to score the game's lone goal.

Kasey Keller steps between the posts at Vicente Calderón Stadium and earns a shutout of Atletico Madrid in his debut for Rayo Vallecano, 2-0. Newly promoted Rayo proceed to win six of their first eight matches to take an early lead of La Liga. The association of European sports magazines name Keller the October goalkeeper of the month.

Pasco pounces on a pair of rare breakdowns in Evergreen's defense and earns a 2-1 win in the state 4A boys' championship match at Vancouver's Kiggins Bowl. Pasco becomes second school from the east side of the state to win 4A in as many years, following Spokane's Ferris. Daryl Kelly puts the Bulldogs ahead by running onto a Skyler Allen shot in the 27th minute. Early in the second half, an Evergreen turnover is quickly converted from 12 yards by Mike Pardini following a pass from David Hileman. The previously unbeaten Plainsmen pull back a goal when Hai Nguyen heads in Nathan Overguard's long free kick with 21 minutes left.

It's one of the top organizations in the country, including MLS. The management, coaching, and the winning tradition here...it's definitely one of the strongest organizations around.

Scoreless for the first time at home, Seattle Pacific dominates UC Davis yet goes out of the NCAA Division II tournament, 1-0, in a first-round game at Interbay Stadium. The Falcons, who had scored 23 times in their previous six home dates, fire 20 shots. Joel Malick hits both the crossbar and right post in the second half. It’s the 10th straight postseason trip for SPU and only the second time it fails to reach the second round over that stretch.

Seattle Pacific jumps on top early to score a 1-0 win over Barry in a match billed as father vs. son. Cliff McCrath’s 4th-ranked Falcons, by virtue of Grant Falco’s strike in the eighth minute, defeat Steve McCrath’s No. 7 Buccaneers at rain-swept Interbay Stadium. Johann Noetzel gets his eighth shutout. A small trophy, the Millennium Cup, was awarded to the elder McCrath. Steve played for Seattle Pacific (1986-89) and served as his father’s assistant for two seasons before taking the Barry position in Miami.

Paul Czarnowski scores two goals as Tacoma's FC United 80 wins the boys Under-18 national title with 3-0 victory over Vardar III of Livonia, Mich., at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. FC United 80, which completes an unbeaten season (40-0-2), is only the second Washington team to win a U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship. Czarnowski also assists on FC United's other goal, by Joe Watson. Watson's goal is his fourth of the tournament, tying him with teammate Scott Burcar for tournament lead.

Picked to finish seventh in the Wesco coaches preseason poll, Shorewood surprises nearly everyone by going all the way to the state girls 4A throne. Lea John and Nanda McCormick, both freshmen, score their first goals of the season as the Thunderbirds dispatch Kamiakin, 2-0, at Federal Way. Miranda Riley makes seven saves for her third shutout in four postseason games. John scores from 15 yards in the 30th minute, and McCormick seals the title in the 75th.

The Chicago Sockers strike twice in the first half and deny the Spokane Shadow a PDL national championships, 3-1, at Joe Albi Stadium. A club-record crowd of 3,843 sees Chicago go in front after 18 minutes, double it by halftime and add a third goal at 74 minutes. The Shadow averts a shutout when Jeff Rose scores with two minutes remaining. Dave Berto's penalty kick is saved. Rose, Zane Higgins and Billy Sleeth of Spokane all make the all-tournament team.

Some 14,000 fans pack the Tacoma Dome to watch the U.S. Women's National Team take on a team of World All-Stars. Michelle Akers of Shoreline is the clear crowd favorite, drawing the biggest cheers. The international stars jump to a 2-0 lead and never look back on their way to a convincing 11-2 victory using 6v6 indoor rules. The World team now leads the Toys 'R Us Victory Tour series, 6-5.

Puget Sound jumps out to an early lead on freshman Chris Raymond's goal, and Tye Tolentino adds an assist and goal in the Loggers' NCAA Division III first-round win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 3-0, in La Jolla, Calif. Tolentino assists on Raymond's 18th-minute score for his UPS record 14th. The Federal Way junior also scores the final goal at the 67:18 mark to become the program's all-time top scorer.

Shaking off a first-minute goal by the visitors, Washington repeats as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion with a 2-1 win over UCLA at rain-soaked Husky Soccer Field. The Bruins go ahead after 65 seconds, but the Huskies' Bryn Ritchie ties it 24 seconds later. The deciding goal comes late in the first half. Wes Hart finds Greg Foisie on the far side of the box, who scores at 43:31. UCLA outshoots UW, 20-13, but James Dickinson makes six saves.

Sports Illustrated names U.S. national team stars Michelle Akers, Kasey Keller and Jeff Durgan to its all-century list of Washington sports personalities. Shoreline's Akers is listed ninth, Olympia's Keller 28th and Tacoma's Durgan 46th. No other state has more than two soccer representatives, and there are 11 total nationwide. Spokane's John Stockton, the NBA career leader in assists and steals, tops the state list.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association reaffirms that its girls' state championship tournaments will remain in the fall. The Washington State Youth Soccer Association had requested it be changed to the spring to alleviate field shortages and injuries caused by playing both club and high school concurrently. WIAA argues there’s a field shortage in spring as well. In Idaho and Oregon, girls play their club season in the spring.

Thousands from Washington, both far and nearby Clark County, descend upon Portland's Civic Stadium for the first of two World Cup match days. A crowd of 17,668 sees the doubleheader of Japan-Russia (0-5) and China-Ghana (7-0), with Sun Wen getting a hat trick in the latter. The next day, an even larger throng of 20,129 witnesses Germany-Mexico (6-0) and North Korea-Denmark (3-1).

Jeff Rose rises from the bench to score the winning goal as the host Spokane Shadow move into the PDL national final with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Willamette Valley Firebirds before 3,829 at Joe Albi Stadium. Rose enters the match in the 59th minute and nine minutes later he meets a Zane Higgins cross for a header inside the left post. Three minutes earlier, Higgins scores tying goal from Dave Berto's feed. Prior to the game, the Soccer Jam finals are held on the field. More than 200 youth teams participated in the 3-on-3 tournament.

Trisha Tateyama tallies the game's first goal to set the Seattle University all-time scoring record, and the Chieftains beat Concordia, 6-0, in the semifinals of the NAIA Northwest Regional soccer tournament. Tateyama, a senior who also contributes an assist, has 40 goals and 116 career points, three more than Ingrid Gunnestad (1988-90). Top-ranked Simon Fraser eliminates No. 13 SU in the regional final, 2-1.

Jennifer Bosa's penalty kick with eight minutes remaining settles the state girls' 3A championship at rain-soaked Federal Way Stadium. Holy Names secures its first state title over Mount Rainier, 1-0. Bosa's kick comes after Heidi Safadago is fouled. Her spot kick, the first of the season, goes low to the right corner. While both teams are playing in their first final, the Rams had advanced to three straight semifinals.

Five months after helping the United States win a second World Cup title, Michelle Akers returns home to be inducted into Seattle's Walk of Fame. Akers joins 28 notable local figures, from Jimi Hendrix to Bill Gates, whose footprints have been bronzed into the sidewalk surrounding the Nordstrom downtown flagship store. On the same day, Akers and the rest of the USWNT are named as Sports Illustrated's Sportswomen of the Year.

Four new grass fields at Plantes Ferry Soccer Complex are opened for the Spokane Cup men's tournament. The tournament, which has been ongoing for 31 years, has typically been held at Franklin or Underhill parks. Half of the 12-team field hails from greater Spokane. The Plantes Ferry fields were seeded in 1998 and unused until now. Eight more fields and three softball fields are scheduled to be built in the future.

Defending A-League champion Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos upset the MLS Colorado Rapids, 2-0, in the U.S. Open Cup final. Burien native Nate Daligcon starts in midfield for Rochester and Darren Sawatzky is up front for Colorado. Daligcon, traded by the Sounders after starting for their 1996 A-League champions, becomes a fixture in Rochester’s perennial success. He plays in four straight (1998-2001) A-League finals, winning three.

Adam Vance strikes the first blow in the 16th minute, and Puget Sound piles on to beat Whitman, 3-0, in Walla Walla and win its first Northwest Conference championship. David Ludwin scores and the Loggers (17-1-0) add an own goal while Ryan Wittstruck posts his ninth shutout.

A courageous, inspiring performance by Michelle Akers is capped by the United States reclaiming the FIFA World Cup before 90,185 in Pasadena's Rose Bowl – a world record for a women's sports event. The USWNT prevails over China on penalties, 0-0 (5-4). Akers wins battle after individual battle in midfield, but in the waning moments of regulation, she collides heavily with goalkeeper Briana Scurry during a China corner kick and is taken from the pitch. Akers needs an IV after leaving the game because of heat exhaustion and a slight concussion.

Portland Pythons of the World Indoor Soccer League are exploring a move to Tacoma. Owners have contacted the Tacoma Dome about the possibility of relocating their franchise after averaging 3,164 in attendance at Portland's Rose Garden last season. It's the lowest attendance in the team's seven-year history and sixth in the seven-team league. The WISL season runs from August to November. From 1995-97 Portland was a CISL division rival to the Seattle SeaDogs.

Tami Bennett's brace and assist leads Washington to a 3-0 victory over Washington State in the Pac-10 opener for both teams at Husky Soccer Field. Bennett opens the Apple Cup by heading in a corner kick from Caroline Putz at 34:18. Putz follows five minutes later by capping a combination with Bennett and Katey Ward. In the 51st minute, Bennett unleashes a 17-yard blast. Freshman UW goalkeeper Hope Solo posts her second shutout, making two saves.

Shannon (Higgins) Cirovski is named head coach at Maryland, where she will join husband Sasho Cirovski, Terps men's coach since 1993. Shannon spent the past year as head coach of the newly formed U.S. Under-18 women's national team while also serving as an assistant on the USWNT and the U-20 team.