Rachel Serpa strokes the knockout penalty kick and Jenney Edwards makes a key third-round shootout save, allowing Tahoma (21-0-1) to grab the school's first state girls' title since 1986. The Bears take the 4A decision over Inglemoor, 1-1 (5-3), at Federal Way Stadium. Molly McDonald gives Tahoma the initial lead from a Tina Thorne corner kick in the 21st minute. In the 38th, Inglemoor ties through Stacey Sarro. It is just the second goal allowed by the Bears' defense. In the shootout, Edwards tips a try from Ana Gutierrez over the crossbar, then Serpa's clinching penalty finds the lower right corner, sending Tahoma fans into a frenzy.

For the fourth time in his six seasons as a pro, Nate Daligcon helps raise the A-League championship trophy. Daligcon stars for Rochester in its 2-0 title game victory over Hershey at Frontier Field. Stoian Mladenov scores both goals in the final half-hour and the Rhinos become the first repeat champions since the 1995-96 Sounders. Daligcon, who scored in the first leg of a semifinal win over Milwaukee Oct. 4, starts the final and plays 58 minutes.

Sixteen days prior to the Sounders' regular-season opener, Neil Megson resigns as head coach, citing differences in philosophy with management. Bernie James, Megson's top assistant, is named interim coach. Megson's teams went 90-54-23 (all competitions) in his five seasons, winning an A-League championship in 1996 and reaching the playoffs every year.

Following four seasons in MLS with Columbus, Jason Farrell returns home and rejoins the Sounders. Farrell, 30, played over 100 matches for the Crew, contributing 14 goals and 19 assists. He also plays indoors for Wichita of the NPSL. Farrell was second team all-league in 1994 and kept the 1995 title hopes alive with a late equalizer in the final.

Tafara Pulse and Jamie Nicolopolus score in the first eight minutes and Seattle University pounces on the opportunity to claim the first GNAC championship, 5-1, over Northwest Nazarene at Championship Field. A spurt of three more goals in a 10-minute span makes it a 5-nil runaway by halftime. The Redhawks win three of four down the stretch, scoring 14 goals.

After 30 seasons and having its hopes dashed the past four years, Gonzaga finally earns an NCAA at-large berth. The Zags have tied for first or second place in the West Coast Conference four of the past five seasons. Seventh-year coach Einar Thorarinsson can’t bear to watch the selection show, instead riding a stationary bike until receiving a call on his cell phone. The second-place Zags are one of four WCC teams in the 48-team field.

Railene Thorson is named women's head coach at Western Washington following Derek Falor's departure. Thorson, from SeaTac, had served as Falor's assistant for two seasons after completing her goalkeeping career at Montana. Falor was 56-47-10 in six years. For the WWU men's program, Travis Connell is now solo head coach after sharing the job with Brad Swanson and Todd Stauber, respectively, the past two seasons.

Ninety seconds after entering the match, Erin Otagaki scores the decisive goal, lifting 14th-ranked Washington to a 2-1 victory over Washington State in the Pacific-10 Conference opener before a crowd of 2,490 at Husky Soccer Field The attendance figure is No. 3 all-time for the Huskies. Jaime Carstensen opens the scoring just over six minutes into the contest with a lofted shot from 15 yards. Otagaki extends the UW lead to 2-nil at 57:30, collecting a loose ball and firing it from 12 yards. WSU answers a minute later. Keegan Hughes scores from 10 yards.

Senior defender Zach Scott scores only the fifth hat trick in Gonzaga program history – all on headers – as the Bulldogs stun 17th-ranked Loyola Marymount, 4-1, at Martin Field. Taylor McCool stakes the Zags to a 4th-minute lead and Scott's first goal doubles it in the 16th. He adds goals in the 54th and 69th minutes. Unbeaten now in six outings, Gonzaga is ranked No. 16 the following week.

FieldTurf is approved as the field surface for the new stadium being built on the former Kingdome site. Scheduled to open in August 2002, the stadium will be home to the NFL Seahawks and a wide range of soccer events. But the Board of Directors of the Washington State Public Stadium Authority, which owns the facility, approves FieldTurf only after receiving commitments that temporary natural grass will be installed for major soccer events. First & Goal will pay for the installation of temporary natural grass. Further, if a natural grass field is required to attract a Major League Soccer franchise to Seattle, First & Goal will permanently replace the FieldTurf with natural grass. Board members noted that state voters approved the $430 million financing plan for the stadium on the condition that it host both football and soccer, and reminded that they are committed to a project that considers the needs of both sports.

Two scores allowed within a four-minute span puts 17th-ranked Washington out of the NCAA women's tournament, and Portland is once again the culprit. Lisa Casagrande (23:55) and Christine Sinclair (27:23) goals give the Pilots a 2-0 win at Merlo Field. The Huskies manage just four shots and fall to 1-13-1 vs. UP, including four postseason losses in eight seasons. It's the final collegiate game for Hope Solo, who had allowed just three goals in her last 676 minutes.

Gonzaga's Brian Ching is selected 17th overall by the Sounders in the A-League draft while Seattle Pacific's Vadim Tolstolutsky is another first-round pick, going 21st to Portland's expansion team. Five other players with Washington roots are taken. Washington's Michael Casale (22nd), Mark Hogenhout (39th) and Kai Carroll (43rd) and Puget Sound's Tye Tolentino (60th) are drafted by Seattle. Dana Garner of SPU goes 33rd to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Fourth-ranked Washington cruises to its eighth straight win, 3-1, over No. 20 UCLA in front of 1,587 fans at Husky Soccer Field. The Huskies pull away when substitute Greg Foisie heads home in the 73rd minute from a Ben Somoza cross. Jake Sagare puts it away at 84:54. Ben Somoza gives Washington an early lead at 8:52. UCLA ties it in the 68th.

Despite getting two first-half goals from Joe Watson, Seattle University can’t hold off unbeaten Rio Grande in the NAIA quarterfinals. The Redhawks go down, 3-2, to close-out their NAIA era. Joe Watson scores in the 8th and 31st minutes. The lead holds until the 67th minute, when Rio Grande scores twice in 1:41, then wins it with 5:43 left. It ends an SU run in which they won nine of the last 10.

Brian Schmetzer, a Sounders player in both the NASL and A-League eras and a Seattle native, is named Sounders head coach. This will be the first head coaching appointment for Schmetzer, 39. He served as player/assistant coach with the indoor Seattle SeaDogs from 1995-97. Schmetzer serves as coaching director of the Emerald City Futbol Club and coached the Lake City Hawks over-30 team to the national championship last year.

Within a few hours of the terrorist attacks back east, Seattle Pacific postpones its women's soccer game vs. Western Washington later that evening at Interbay Stadium. Elsewhere, Puget Sound's men's afternoon game at Northwest Nazarene proceeds. The Loggers' flight back was canceled, however, due to the FAA ground stop order.

Olympic Soccer & Sports Center opens in Bremerton's Pendergast Park. The $900,000 center features two competitive indoor fields, plus a mezzanine area and observation deck in the 25,000-square-foot building. Construction began in June.

A spectacular scoring effort from Chris Henderson sends Miami past Kansas City, 2-1, in the deciding match of the MLS quarterfinal playoff series at Lockhart Stadium. From the left corner on the penalty area in the 71st minute, Henderson volleys just inside the upper far corner, over Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola. Preki scores the Fusion's first goal. Both he and Henderson played for the Wizards' 2000 MLS Cup winners the previous season.

Devvyn Hawkins joins Hope Solo in the United States starting XI for a friendly at Italy. Hawkins, a sophomore from Olympia who plays at Santa Clara and summer with the Sounders Women, is making the first of her five appearances in 2001. Solo, the UW junior, is starting the second of her team-high four starts in goal. Italy wins, 1-0, in the Algarve Cup warm-up in Rieti.

Freshman goalkeeper James Ward removes his gloves and changes shirts for the final 27 minutes to lead a furious Seattle Pacific comeback at San Antonio. The Falcons come from two goals down to catch and then defeat St. Edward's, 3-2, when Ward scores his first collegiate goal with 4:41 left in regulation. Ward assists on two David Smith goals coming less than two minutes apart, the equalizer in the 80th minute. SPU (9-6-0) is bidding to earn an NCAA postseason berth for the 13th year in a row.

For the second time in three days, goalkeeper James Ward rescues Seattle Pacific's postseason hopes by moving up to forward and bringing the Falcons from behind. After trailing by three goals, SPU ties, 3-3, at Incarnate Word on Ward's second goal with 24 seconds left in regulation. David Smith begins the rally at 84:09, then Ward ties it at 84:47. He returns to goal to make two key overtime saves.

Fifteen hours after starting for runner-up Blanchet in the state 3A girls basketball championship game, Katie O'Brien converts the winning shootout goal for Seattle's Emerald City FC '81 Azzurri in the title game of the U-18 Snickers Championship Cup at Renton Stadium. Rebekah Ten Broek of Lynden and Temryss Lane of Sehome also played in state hoops games before playing for ECFC Azzurri. Both girls have Division I scholarships and will play soccer next season, Lane at Arizona State and Ten Broek at Marshall in West Virginia.

Bernie James is fired as interim coach of the Seattle Sounders and general manager Brad Kimura resigns following the club's failure to make the A-League playoffs for the first time. Managing partner Adrian Hanauer will replace Kimura, who had been GM for six seasons. Settle finished 13-12-1 and fifth in the Western Conference. James had replaced Neil Megson just two weeks prior to the season.

Major League Soccer's financial crisis leads the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny to cease operations. Miami's Chris Henderson and Preki are later acquired by Colorado and Kansas City, respectively. The Fusion had finished with the league's top regular season record.

An early second-half penalty kick puts Whitworth on top in a 2-0 victory at Willamette that clinches the Pirates' first Northwest Conference men's title of the NCAA era. Matt Stueckle converts the penalty, and Doug Lupton keeps a clean sheet vs. nine-man Willamette for Whitworth's 10th consecutive victory.

Michelle Akers may not play the inaugural season of America's new women's professional league, but she performs the ceremonial first kick for Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). Prior to the inaugural match at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Akers takes the ball from a parachutist and performs the symbolic commencement of play. The host Washington Freedom defeat the Bay Area CyberRays, 1-0, before a crowd of 34,148. Injured, Akers performs the kick with her right arm in a sling. Kent's Michelle French starts for Washington and Sandra Hunt of Bellingham is the match referee.

Seattle Pacific rebounds from two road losses to win its first GNAC game in its inaugural women's home match before 500 at Interbay Stadium. Andrea Larsen scores her fourth in five games and LeRin Farrison also gets a second-half goal as the Falcons defeat Central Washington, 2-1. FIFA referee Sandra Hunt, an SPU alumnae and former club player, officiates.

Halftime substitute Erin Otagaki scores on the hour, and Hope Solo preserves the lead in No. 18 Washington's 1-0 road over No. 15 California. It's Otagaki's second game-winner in six days and the Huskies fourth consecutive win. Solo totals nine saves, three of them very difficult, en route to her third shutout.

Joe and Sue Shinafelt Waters, the husband-and-wife soccer coaches at Pacific Lutheran, announce they will not return in 2002. Joe Waters coached the men's team for four seasons (25-39-6). Sue coached the PLU women for six years (38-62-6). She had played on two Lutes national championship teams.

Decatur defender William Craig pushes forward in the dying seconds of overtime to kick in the title-winning goal of the boys' 4A final in Everett. The undefeated Gators (21-0-1) win their first championship, 2-1, over Ferris. Decatur's Erik Sterling gets the game's first goal 10 minutes into the second period. With five minutes left in regulation, Ian O'Neill of Ferris ties it. With penalty kicks looming, Craig takes a flick-on from Alex Chursky to score.

Puget Sound fires 43 shots before finally connecting on the game-winning goal vs. Pacific at Baker Stadium. Emily Bumguardner scores at 84:10 for the Loggers' 23rd straight conference victory. Nineteen of those wins are shutouts, including 11 this season. UPS goalie Karen Ecklebe posts her seventh shutout of the season.

Seattle University got two goals from Danny Ferris and held off a late threat by Berry College to defeat the fifth-seeded Vikings, 2-1 in the first round of the NAIA national tournament in Bowling Green, Ky. The 12th-seeded Redhawks take the lead after 20 minutes through Ferris working a combination with James Vert and Matt Hulen. Ferris completes his third straight brace with 27 minutes left. Berry pulls a goal back but cannot find the equalizer.

Ryan Wittstruck makes six saves and Anthony Fioretti scores twice to lead Puget Sound over Pacific Lutheran, 2-0, to cap the regular season at East Athletic Field. The Loggers win their final five games, all with Wittstruck in goal. In an injury-shortened season, he earns two shutouts, bringing his career record total to 30.

Former members of the Norpoint Cheney Studs Hustlers reunite to honor former coach Roman Strug. The gathering comes almost 30 years to the day since the Hustlers became one of the first U.S. junior teams to play in Britain. The Hustlers were a regional power, compiling a 148-21-13 record over a seven-year period against teams throughout the West and took a 65-game win streak into the UK tour. Strug, a Ukrainian, became a legendary coach in the Washington soccer community. He led teams to about a dozen junior championships in 35 years of coaching. He retired in 1999.

In his first USMNT start in nearly six months, Kasey Keller makes six saves in posting his third straight shutout in World Cup qualifying. The U.S. blanks Costa Rica, 1-0, before a record Kansas City attendance of over 37,000. After Josh Wolff's 70th-minute goal, Keller preserves the advantage, including stopping a Paolo Wanchope header with eight minutes left.

Seth Marsh comes off the bench and scores the winning goal with 7 seconds left as 10th-ranked Washington rallies to beat No. 15 Portland, 4-3, before over 2,808 to remain unbeaten at home. Marsh enters the tied match 63 seconds before scoring. A corner kick by Ben Somoza finds Marsh six yards in front of the net. Greg Foisie pulls the Huskies level in the 70th minute. Somoza has a first-half goal and assists on another by Zach Kingsley. Kelly Gray has two of Portland's three goals.

Washington junior Hope Solo becomes the first Husky and goalkeeper named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year after leading UW to a second-place regular season finish. Solo compiled a 0.64 goals-against average, and Washington reached its sixth NCAA tournament berth in eight years. She is one of 15 nominees for the Hermann Trophy.

Evergreen State ends its 38-game winless streak, dominating Northwest College, 4-0, in a Cascade Conference game. The Geoducks had not won since Oct. 14, 1998, a 1-0 decision over Hawaii Pacific, and had lost each match (38 total, including five ties) since a 1-1 tie with Northwest on Sept. 3, 1999. Justin Connell scored two goals in the first 23 minutes against Northwest, which had just 10 players. Truman Read and Brian Cook also scored. Evergreen women's coach Arlene McMahon coached the team after Scott Martin was fired Aug. 24.

Rookie goalkeeper Rich Cullen is credited with a record 16 saves in his first A-League start, a 2-1 overtime loss at Montreal. Cullen is a Spokane native spelling regular starter Preston Burpo who played the night before. Bill May had set the club record of 12 saves in 2000. Cullen also makes 13 saves Sept. 7 at Vancouver.

Kei Kinoshita's overtime, top-of-the-box volley finds twine and the golden goal gives the Seattle Sounders a 2-1 victory over Portland at Memorial Stadium. With Timbers keeper Matt Napoleon racing off his line, Kinoshita arrives to hit Kyle Smith's flick-on goalward in the 110th minute. Scott Jenkins scores the tying goal in the 62nd minute after former Sounder Darren Sawatzky struck early on a penalty. It's the Sounders' (1-2-0) first win of the season and comes 24 hours after falling in Portland. The match is hotly contested, with nine cards shown, including reds to both sides in the 75th minute.

Monroe goalkeeper Ben Dragavon stops two Mercer Island shootout attempts and scores one of his own, leading the Bearcats to the first state championship for any Monroe sports team since 1953. Following a scoreless regulation and overtime, Dragavon scores the Bearcats' first penalty, then saves off Ross Miller in the sixth round to end it, 0-0 (5-4). In the final two minutes of regulation, Dragavon denies the Islanders' Colin Rigby a game-winner. He also saved two penalties in a semifinal advancement over Lakeside.

Four years after a statewide referendum votes to fund a new soccer/football stadium in Seattle. Paul Allen's First & Goal recommends a FieldTurf playing surface instead of the initially-proposed grass. As operator of the stadium and the Seahawks, F&G contends that FieldTurf would require less maintenance, hold up longer than grass and prevent injuries associated with other artificial surfaces. Soccer community leaders are concerned that an MLS team or international play would bypass Seattle because of the artificial surface.

High school and youth athletic competition throughout the state experiences a relatively brief interruption due to the 9/11 attacks. Some leagues postponed action immediately, others carried on. By Sept. 15 most competition resumes. Washington State ferries were limited to passenger-only service over concerns about car bombs after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Portland makes itself at home on Montlake, eliminating Washington, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA men's tournament on Nate Jaqua's long drive in the first half. The Pilots ousted Gonzaga, 1-0, at Husky Soccer Field two days earlier. Jaqua beats UW keeper Danny Waltman from 30 yards in the 37th minute. Despite reaching the postseason seven straight years, the Huskies have yet to reach the third round.

Whitworth upsets top-seeded regional host Macalester College, 1-1 (4-2), in a penalty-kick shootout in St. Paul, Minn., to advance to the third round of the NCAA Division III soccer tournament. Matt Knoll's goal at the 28:36 mark gives the Pirates an early lead, but Macalester answers with 3:01 left in regulation to force the first of two scoreless overtimes. Goalkeeper Ben Oakley makes consecutive saves in the shootout to send Whitworth to the next round.

C.J. Klaas scores one and assists on a second goal for Washington in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers reserves at Ewood Park. Brett Wiesner and Greg Foisie also score in the third match of the Huskies' five preseason tour dates. Six of Blackburn's side have Premier League experience. UW plays reserves of Everton (1-1), Manchester City (2-2), Crewe Alexandra (3-3) and West Ham (2-3) during the tour.

Colleges and conferences through the nation begin canceling and postponing athletic contests in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Pac-10, WCC and Big Sky soccer games begin resuming Sept. 20. Not as reliant on air travel, GNAC, NWC and CCC resume as early as Sept. 15 when Seattle Pacific plays a women's game at Humboldt State. Their scheduled flight canceled, the Falcons drive 575 miles each way to Arcata, Calif.

Stifling defense is behind 17th-ranked Washington's defeat of San Diego, 2-0, in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Portland's Merlo Field. It’s Pac-10 Player of the Year Hope Solo’s record-tying 16th career shutout. Under pressure, the Toreros manage only five shots, three on frame. Jamie Carsten puts the Huskies in front, heading in a Nicole Martinez corner kick at 35:42. Freshman Tina Frimpong increases the lead in the 52nd minute.

Andrea Larsen's second-half goal earns a tie in Seattle Pacific's inaugural match, a 1-1 draw at Point Loma in San Diego. Larsen, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State, scores off an assist from Melissa Ellingson at 50:50. Point Loma, ranked No. 23 among NAIA teams, had converted a penalty kick 30 seconds before halftime.

Jessica Henson and Andrea Larsen score first-half goals as Seattle Pacific beats Vanguard, 3-0, in Costa Mesa, Calif., for the first varsity women's soccer victory in school history. Jennifer Hull makes eight saves in posting the shutout, and Sarah Richards adds an insurance goal.

Danny Ferris fires a pair of goals in the final minutes, lifting Seattle University to a 2-0 NAIA regional championship victory over Albertson College at Clark Community College in Vancouver. It's a scoreless contest until 86:20, when Ferris scores in his third straight game. He strikes again 85 seconds later to confirm the Redhawks' third trip to NAIA nationals. Evan McNeley assists both goals, and Brandon Sewell makes seven saves.

Fourth-ranked Puget Sound is inexplicably snubbed by the NCAA Division III women's tournament selection committee. Somehow, the Loggers (15-2-1) are denied one of 11 at-large berths. Instead, the lone West at-large spot goes to Redlands, a team UPS beat eight weeks earlier, 4-1. Willamette, which defeated Puget Sound on a late goal to claim the NWC title and automatic berth, will play host to the regional. If the Loggers had tied Willamette, UPS would have garnered the automatic bid.

Kurt Ness's golden goal lifts Seattle Sounders Selects to a 3-2 shocker over the host Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup in Duncanville, Texas. Ness, a 75th minute substitute, scores in the sixth minute of extra time when his shot deflects past the Dallas keeper. Greg Foisie (45') and Zach Kingsley (61') twice gave Seattle the lead in regulation. Billy Sleeth assists on both and makes a long run to set up the third. Carlos Castellanos makes six saves in the second half. The Selects are the only PDL or D3 Pro side to reach the third round.

Brandon Carlson's second-half goal is enough as Whitworth registers its first NCAA Division III postseason victory, 1-0, over Colorado College. Carlson scores from 10 yards out from Kurt Kagawa in the 54th minute. Ben Oakley preserves the first-round shutout with a diving stop of a free kick with 26 minutes remaining. The Pirates are making their first trip to a national postseason tournament.

Three players from Washington contribute to Santa Clara winning its first NCAA women's title, upsetting 2-time defending champion North Carolina, 1-0, at Dallas. Aly Wagner's first-half goal is the difference. Santa Clara's midfield features senior Kerry Cathcart of Tacoma and all-region junior Devvyn Hawkins of Olympia. Redmond's Allie Teague is a reserve freshman forward. In the final seconds, Cathcart and Hawkins found each other and hugged, Cathcart shouting, "Go Washington!" It had also been an emotional past month for Hawkins her father, Mark, died of cancer in November. The Broncos (23-2-0) snap the Tar Heels' 33-game win streak. In Santa Clara's 3-2 overtime win over Florida, Vancouver's Crystal Frimpong scored for the Gators.

Joe Watson’s second-half goal ends 23 years of frustration for Seattle University trying to win on Seattle Pacific’s home field, 2-1, before a near-capacity crowd at Interbay Stadium. The Redhawks score on their first shot, taken by Evan McNeley, in the fifth minute. Watson doubles the lead in the 54th before 23rd-ranked SPU cuts the deficit on Brent Egbert’s strike with 10 minutes to go. Seattle U takes the lead in the GNAC race it eventually finishes 4-0-0.

With a 7-0 loss at Pepperdine, the Gonzaga women go winless (0-15-2) for the entire season. The Bulldogs, who had lost the final 10 matches of 2000, manage to score only five goals. Both draws, against Portland State and Eastern Washington, are scoreless.

Seattle University gets two goals and an assist from Heather Hartstein to storm past Western Baptist, 4-0, in an NAIA first-round regional playoff at Bellevue's Newport High School. However, the next night the Redhawks are denied a place in the 16-team national tournament by Concordia, 1-0.

Sy Reeves scored the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute, and the Seattle Sounders Selects defeat the Denver Cougars, 3-1, in a Western Conference semifinal game at Santa Ana Bowl. Seattle scores all three of its goals during the second half to reach the USL PDL final eight. Reeves's goal comes four minutes after a Denver player is ejected. James Vert is denied by the Cougars keeper, but Reeves makes no mistake with an open net. Greg Foisie scores the Selects opener, and Todd Stauber adds an insurance goal with three minutes remaining. Calgary defeats Seattle, 3-0, the following night and proceeds to make the PDL final.

Former Sounders Mark Baena and Darren Sawatzky haunt their former club as the A-League expansion Portland Timbers blank Seattle, 2-0, before 12,295 for their home debut at PGE Park. Baena scores the first goal and Sawatzky assists on both scores. The Timbers are coached by longtime NASL Sounders assistant Bobby Howe. It's the first Seattle-Portland professional 11v11 meeting since 1990. Indoor clubs met from 1995-97.

Freshman Brett Wiesner delivers his first collegiate goal to lead 14th-ranked Washington to a 1-0 upset of defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Connecticut in front of 2,852 fans in Storrs, Conn. Wiesner's winner comes just 6 minutes, 34 seconds, when a UConn clearing header falls short and he drills it home. Chad Olson stops five shots in goal. Afterward, UW climbs nine places to No. 2 in the national rankings.

Puget Sound reels off its 10th straight victory and 24th straight in Northwest Conference play, 3-0, over George Fox at East Athletic Field. It's the Loggers' eighth shutout in a row. Beth Taimi, Jessica Fritz and Tera Anderson score.

Joining most all sports leagues following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber announces that all remaining regular season matches have been canceled and will not be rescheduled. MLS will go ahead with the playoffs, with the first round to begin Sept. 20. USL A-League playoffs are delayed a week, until Sept. 19. The Seattle Sounders' season ended Sept. 8 without qualifying for the playoffs. The entire airspaces of the United States and Canada were closed to civilian air traffic by the FAA on Sept. 11 and were not allowed to resume until Sept. 13. The backlog of delayed passengers took several days to clear.

Plagued by back pain, Annie Schefter doesn't start but she eventually finishes off Lakeside, 2-1, in the girls' 3A state final at Federal Way. Schefter, bound for Notre Dame, scores both goals for the Rams, who finish 24-0-0 and avenge a loss to the Lions a year earlier. Schefter's penalty with five seconds left in the first half opens the scoring. Teryn Allen levels matters for Lakeside in the 46th minute, but Schefter's 47th goal of the year wins it in the 66th minute. Lakeside (20-2-0) edged West Valley by an identical score in 2000.

Former German world champion Jurgen Klinsmann delivers the keynote address at FC United's Northwest Showcase of Champions. The showcase offers college coaches an opportunity to see the Northwest's top players, as well as workshops and lectures. Klinsmann, 36, retired in 1998 and now resides in southern California.

The nationwide ground stop leaves Hawai'i Wahine stranded at Spokane following games at Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. The Wahine is forced to cancel its own tournament in Honolulu. "It really gets to some of the girls when they compare this to Pearl Harbor," says Michelle Landis, the team's trainer. "A lot of the girls haven't been to the mainland that many times, and it really puts it in perspective for them."

It's a strange and rare feat. Leighton O'Brien scores all three Sounders goals via penalty kicks as Seattle also overcomes two ejections to defeat El Paso, 3-2, on the road. Viet Nguyen is sent off after only six minutes, and seconds later coach Bernie James follows for protesting. O'Brien's penalties are scored in the 59th, 70th and 80th minutes. The Patriots also score from the spot in the 89th minute.

Both Michelle French and Hope Solo start for the United States in a 1-1 draw with China before 30,000 in frigid Hangzhou. It's French's 13th and next-to-last appearance for the USWNT. She returns July 3 for a match vs. Canada. Jennifer Lalor's 17th minute goal for the U.S. goal earns her $1,250 for scoring the first goal in the new Dragon Sports Centre Stadium.

Kasey Keller returns to England, signing with Tottenham on a free transfer. Keller, 31, played for Millwall and Leicester from 1991-99. He left Spain's Rayo Vallecano earlier in the summer, and a proposed move to Turkish team Besiktas fell through.