Washington State runs its Apple Cup unbeaten streak to nine with another one-goal decision at Pullman. Micaela Castain gets her fifth game-winner of the year two minutes before halftime in a 1-0 win for the Cougars. WSU, advancing to the NCAA tournament in its first year under Keidane McAlpine, is 6-0-3 vs. the Huskies since 2003, with all the wins by one goal.

Seth Spidahl returns to his alma mater as Pacific Lutheran women's coach. Spidhal has been Washington Premier's coaching director since March of 2011. He was head coach for the Seattle Wolves, later to become Washington Crossfire U23 PDL, from 2009-11. He played four seasons at PLU and later was Washington men's assistant from 2001-09. Spidhal replaces Lynette Buffington.

Richland's Hope Solo and U.S. National teammate Sydney Leroux commit to playing for Seattle Sounders Women in 2012. Solo spent the past four season in Women's Professional Soccer, but on Jan. 12 the WPS suspended operations for the 2012 season. Coming off a five-Leroux grew up just north of the Washington-British Columbia border, in Surrey. She's coming off a five-goal game in January during Olympic qualifying. On Feb. 26, Alex Morgan is added to the roster. Morgan's boyfriend, Servando Carrasco, plays for Sounders FC.

Seattle Sounders Women are named W-League Organization of the Year after attracting 44,000 to their games at Starfire Stadium. Sounders Women, bolstered by the addition of four U.S. National Team members, sold-out nine of 10 matches, with the team finishing second in the division.

Hope Solo records her third straight shutout, and the U.S. advances with a 2-0 Olympic quarterfinal win over New Zealand at Newcastle, England. Sounders Women teammate Sydney Leroux tacks on the second USA goal, her first of the Summer Games and eighth off the bench in 2012. Solo also blanked France and North Korea in the group stage.

The second-largest crowd in MLS history for a stand-alone game witnesses a methodical Sounders 3-0 victory over Portland. The attendance of a capacity 66,452 is the highest since 1996, when 69,255 were at the Rose Bowl for LA-New York. Eddie Johnson scores his 14th goal of the season just minutes after an own goal gave Seattle the lead. Fredy Montero adds another in the 62nd minute. While it is a club record for MLS play, there have been larger attendances for Sounders friendlies vs. Barcelona and Manchester United.

Facing a Santos Laguna side in midseason Liga MX form, Seattle Sounders open the competitive campaign with a 2-1 Champions League quarterfinal first leg win before 23,433 at CenturyLink Field. David Estrada heads in his first professional goal from a Fredy Montero cross in the 12th minute. Herculez Gomez equalizes for Santos in the 61st, but Brad Evans nods home a Mauro Rosales free kick two minutes later.

Struggling under the weight of a club-record seven-game MLS winless streak, the Sounders FC extend their U.S. Open Cup unbeaten streak to 17 games with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over the San Jose Earthquakes at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium. Trinidadian teen Cordell Cato latches onto a long pass through the Quakes defense and shoots through the legs of keeper David Bingham from 8 yards in the 19th minute. Andrew Weber, who played the previous three seasons in San Jose, gets the shutout for Seattle. The game gets rough in the second half. Alan Gordon of San Jose is sent off in stoppage time, and Seattle's Eddie Johnson is involved in a scuffle near the benches after the final whistle. It's only the Sounders fourth USOC road game and first in nearly two years.

Eastside FC 94 Red finishes third in the USYSA Championships in the boys' U17 at Rock Hill, S.C. Eastside defeats Arizona's Sereno, 3-0 in its final game. Their only loss was to Chicago's Galaxy 94/95 Blue, the eventual champion. They also took the bronze in 2011 at U16s. Eastside's James Molyneux-Elliot and Jordan Morris are later named to the US Youth Soccer Best 11 in their age group.

A golden goal from Kristin Maris gives 23rd-ranked Western Washington a 2-1 upset of No. 10 Sonoma State in overtime in Far West semifinal at Rohnert Park, Calif. The Vikings never trail in earning their record 19th win, taking the initial lead in the ninth minute on a Joana Houplin penalty kick. Jamie Arthurs makes eight saves, and in the 13th minute of overtime Catherine Miles cuts it back to set-up Miles for the goal. WWU advances to its first regional final since 2008. UC San Diego wins the regional, 2-1, in overtime Nov. 16 in Denver and goes on to be Division II runner-up.

Seattle is one of 10 America SCORES affiliate cities where groups all simultaneously dribble soccer balls for a national team effort to break the Guinness World Record for the most people dribbling a soccer ball at the same time. The record was broken with an unofficial 2,149 dribblers in cities across the country, beating the previous record of 2,068. The Seattle event contributed 202 to that number.

Behind a goal and assist from Christopher Morris, Seattle Pacific matches its best-ever start with a 3-1 home win over Mary. Morris's opener in the eighth minute sends the Falcons on their way to a sixth straight win. SPU also began 6-0-0 in 1985 and 1991.

A $1 million gift to Western Washington University kicks-off a fundraising drive to build a new all-weather turf field on campus. Western's teams have played off-campus for decades. The donation comes from Western alumnus Scott Harrington and his family. Harrington, who graduated in 1998, played for the Vikings. The university plans to name the field in honor of his father, the late Robert Harrington.

Auburn hits Washington for two early goals to win the NCAA first round game, 2-1, at Husky Soccer Field. The Tigers are on top 2-nil after 15 minutes. Lindsay Elston pulls UW a goal back in the 37th minute with a 30-yard rocket, however the hosts never find the equalizer. Elston totals 11 goals for the season. Washington exits the tournament in the first round for the first time since 2003.

Hope Solo's late diving stop preserves a United States 2-1 victory over Japan in the Olympic gold medal game at London's Wembley Stadium. Carli Lloyd scores early in each half, but the slim lead is nearly erased in the 83rd minute. Following a steal, Mana Iwabuchi is one-on-one vs. Solo, and the U.S. keeper goes full stretch to her left to push away the shot. Solo collects her third gold medal. Spokane native Amy LePeilbet, another local connection, starts her fifth game on the backline.

Little-used Mario Martinez makes the most of his first MLS start by sending the Sounders to their first playoff series win at Real Salt Lake. Martinez strikes a sizzling, low drive inside the far post in the 81st minute to snap 171 scoreless minutes. Seattle's 1-0 aggregate win advances it to a meeting with the L.A. Galaxy. Martinez played only 40 minutes during the regular season, but he starts in place of the injured Mauro Rosales. He takes a feed from Fredy Montero just inside the left side of the penalty area and beats Nick Rimando. Michael Gspurning makes nine saves for the shutout.

Unable to convert potential game-winning penalties, Washington State ends up being eliminated by Portland, 2-2 (6-5), in the NCAA tournament's first round before over 2,500 at Merlo Field. The Cougars twice take leads in regulation, on goals by Brandi Vega and Nicole Setterlund, only to see the Pilots pull even. They lead 4-3 going into the tiebreaker's fifth round, but UP keeper Erin Dees makes saves in the next two tries and eventually Taylor Brooke converts the decisive spot kick in the ninth round. WSU had advantages of 19-10 in shots and 9-3 in corners.

Second-half goals from Darwin Jones and Jamael Cox power Seattle Sounders U23s to a 2-0 upset of host Ventura County Fusion in the Western Conference final. Jones scores in the 58th minute and Cox secures passage to Ontario, Canada in the 85th. Seattle had beaten Washington Crossfire, 3-1, in the playoffs' first round, then came from behind to defeat FC Tucson, 2-1, on goals from Jones and Sean Morris.

Columbia River of Vancouver reclaims the girls' 3A championship by defeating Mount Spokane, 2-1. The Chieftains took their first title in 2009. All three goals come in a 12-minute span of the first half. Marion Lilly opens in the 25th minute, the Wildcats' Alyssa Lloyd answers in the 35th and Emily Heaton's 18-yard drive from an attempted clearance proves the winner in the 37th.

A strong start by Seattle Sounders U23 proves unsustainable as host Forest City of London, Ontario rallies to win the PDL semifinal, 3-2, before 1,500 at German Canadian Club. Sean Morris heads in a corner kick in the 21st minute , and Seattle goes into halftime up 2-nil when Dennis Sanchez hits from 25 yards. But Forest City begins climbing back, beginning with a goal just after the restart, and substitute Alex Lewis gets the winner in the 83rd. Still, it's huge turnaround for the U23s, who were 1-15-0 in 2011.

Seattle Unified Soccer League opens its second season at West Seattle's Chief Sealth High School with a greatly expanded program. Retired Sounders great Kasey Keller is among those on hand for the opening ceremonies and March to the Match across the street to the Southwest Athletic Complex. The six-week season features 12 high schools, eight middle schools and five elementary schools from the greater Seattle area. Over 300 students participate on the teams which are made up of five athletes with intellectual disabilities and five without. On April 24, a three-team Whatcom County league begins its first season. Fort Lewis will host a state tournament in June.

Southern California's Pali Blues beat Seattle Sounders Women for a third time, 1-0, to advance to the W-League semifinals. Lynn Williams scores the lone goal in the second half. Sounders Women, who were without U.S. internationals ope Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux, went 10-3-1 during the regular season, including two losses to Pali.

Fortified by the return of several national team members, Seattle Sounders Women defeat Colorado Rush, 2-1, before a sold-out Starfire Stadium crowd in the W-League home opener. Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Sydney Leroux, Stephanie Cox and Keelin Winters are back after a U.S. training camp. Leroux assists Megan Manthey's 18th-minute goal. A foul against Morgan results in Veronica Perez doubling the lead with a 23-yard free kick in the 48th minute. Solo makes four saves while Seattle out-shot the visitors, 25-6.

Northwest University completes a transformative second half by defeating Warner Pacific, 2-0, for the Cascade Conference women's regular season title in Portland. Jessica Oliver scores in her third straight game and the Eagles, who started 1-8-0, go 7-0-1 down the stretch, beating No. 3-ranked Concordia along the way. Concordia later avenges that loss by winning the Cascade tournament final, 2-1, in overtime at Kirkland.

Karl Muelheims scores in the 51st minute to give Whitworth a 1-0 victory over Linfield in McMinnville, Ore., clinching the Northwest Conference championship with two games remaining. Kyle Novak makes two saves to earn his 12th shutout. the Pirates were coming off their first loss of the season, a 3-2 loss at Willamette the day before.

The Olympic gold medalists' Fan Tribute Tour attracts hundreds of Washingtonians to Portland, and Sounders Women forwards Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux account for all the scoring in a 5-0 defeat or Ireland. Morgan's three goals come in the first half and take her total to 26 for the year. She's replaced by Leroux, who grabs a brace in 24 minutes. Hope Solo, just married 15 days earlier, gets the start in goal.

A yet-to-be-named women's professional league will launch in spring 2013 in eight cities, including Seattle. Bill Predmore, president and founder of digital marketing agency POP, will own the team. "Seattle has a long history of enthusiastic support for professional soccer, which we hope will provide us with a strong base of fans for the new women's club," says Predmore. Sounders Women, which did not pay players, will continue operating a W-League team.

Peter Fawley's goal in the 68th minute is the difference as Bainbridge beats Mercer Island, 3-2, for the 3A state championship at Sparks Stadium. The Spartans come all the way back from a title game loss a year before to win their first state title. They lost to Camas, 3-0, in 2011. Goals by Michael Crowley and Connor Winship in the first 20 minutes push Bainbridge ahead early. Following Jake Michael's early second-half score for the Islanders, Fawley gets his third goal in two days he scored twice in the semifinal. Mercer Island rallies late. Jordan Morris scores and a goal-line clearance by Campbell Queen of Bainbridge with two minutes left seals it.

Heather Young scores midway through the first half to give No. 21 Seattle Pacific a 1-0 win at No. 14 Western Washington on the final day of the regular season. It's the first goal allowed by the Vikings in over 919 minutes, dating to a 2-1 Sept. 19 win by SPU at Interbay.

Scoring in her second straight outing, Nicole Setterlund breaks the tie in the 70th minute for Washington State's 2-1 win over Oregon State at Pullman. Jocelyn Jeffers puts WSU on top after 20 minutes, but the Beavers are even by halftime. Setterlund takes the rebound of Brandi Vega's blocked shot and chips it home. The Cougars, who had lost twice the week before, start a three-game win streak and finish 3-0-0 against Pac-12's Washington and Oregon teams.

Seattle executes its most ambitious trade to date, acquiring forward Eddie Johnson, 27, from Montreal in exchange for Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle. Johnson, who scored 35 goals in seven seasons with Dallas and Kansas City from 2001-07, returns stateside following five years primarily in England. He was little used by Fulham, making just 18 appearances and getting loaned to Cardiff City, Preston North End and Greece's Aris.

Fredy Montero's first hat trick fuels the Sounders' 6-2 crushing of Chivas USA in Carson, Calif. The 25-year-old Colombian scores in his fourth straight MLS game, and Mauro Rosales has three assists, tying his club record of 13. Montero’s goals come in the 27th, 34th minute and 67th minutes. Brad Evans, Sammy Ochoa and a late Chivas own goal round out Seattle's scoring. In the closing minutes, Honduran midfielder Mario Martinez makes his debut, and Steve Zakuani makes his second league appearance since coming back from a 2011 leg fracture.

West Seattle Soccer Club’s Jean Robinson is named 2011 USYSA National Boys Recreational Coach of the Year in Boston. Robinson coaches U19 Sambas whose diverse roster features several players from Somalia and Ethiopia. Beyond guiding the team to a 12-0-0 record, she funds many players’ needs out of her own pocket.

Michael Harris heads Washington in front early, and the 21st-ranked Huskies hold firm to beat Air Force in an NCAA first round game on chilly Montlake. Harris, known more for his flip throws, heads in a corner kick from James Moberg in the 15th minute. Reaching the tournament for the first time under Jamie Clark, UW advances to face his former side, Creighton. The Bluejays win, 4-2.

Seattle's charter National Women's Soccer League team will be named Reign FC and play 2013 at Tukwila's Starfire Stadium. Reign FC pays homage to the city's first professional women's team, the Seattle Reign of the American Basketball League, which folded in its third season, in 1998. The other seven NWSL teams will be located in Boston, Chicago, Western New York, New Jersey, Kansas City, Portland and Washington, D.C.

Carter Johnson connects twice in the first 22 minutes as Skyview of Vancouver stuns No. 2-ranked Central Kitsap early and hangs on for a 3-2 victory in the 4A state championship match at Puyallup. It's Skyview's first state title and first since 1993 for a Greater St. Helen's League team. Miles Rodriguez-Nilson's 30th goal of the year gives Central Kitsap hope in the 30th minute. But just three minutes later, the Storm restores the two-goal lead off Austin Horner's goal from a Cole Howard free kick from his own half. Jordan Kollars pulls the Cougars a goal back in the 65th minute.

Two months before the Summer Games begin, Pia Sundhage names four members of the Sounders Women – Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo – to the 18-player U.S. Olympic roster. All but Solo are first-time selections, and Leroux, 22, is the squad's youngest player. Additionally, Amy LePeilbet was born in Spokane.

Willie Spurr scores two goals and assists on another in Evergreen's 4-1 victory over Warner Pacific in the Cascade Conference semifinals at Regional Athletic Complex in Olympia.It's the Geoducks' sixth straight win and first in postseason since 2004. Kevin adds a goal and two assists. Concordia wins the Cascade final, 2-1 – its third win over TESC.

Romelu Lukaku scores twice in the first half for the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup holders Chelsea in a 4-2 friendly win over Sounders FC before over 53,000. Fredy Montero scores a pair as well, in the 14th and 32nd minutes. Chelsea newcomers Eden Hazard and Marko Marin score on deflections in their debuts. Roger Levesque, who has spent nine seasons with the USL and MLS Sounders, makes his final appearance in the 66th minute to a standing ovation.

Fredy Montero stretches the net twice in a three-minute span in propelling Seattle Sounders to their record fifth consecutive victory, 2-0, at FC Dallas. Bryan Meredith continues his spotless spell for the injured Michael Gspurning, making five saves to extend his scoreless streak to 225 minutes. Dallas looks in control until the 68th minute, when Montero maneuvers around two defenders and beats Kevin Hartman near post from 15 yards. His second goal comes in the 71st minute from short range. Seattle (7-1-1) is now unbeaten on the road in eight games.

Washington equals its best start ever by blanking Notre Dame, 3-0, at South Bend. Lindsay Elston gets it going in the 29th minute, dribbling past defenders and the keeper for her fifth goal in 7-0-0 start. Jaclyn Softli scores late in the half, and Falon Miller late in the second. It's Kari Davidson's third straight shutout.

Mike Ryan, the storied coach of so many local teams, most notably the University of Washington men and three U.S. amateur champion women's team, dies at age 77 of a rare autoimmune disorder. Ryan also served as the first U.S. Women's National Team head coach. Locally, he was co-founder and first president of Washington Youth Soccer and also was the first president of the Washington State Women's Soccer Association. He served in those roles and countless youth, high school and senior amateur coaching positions with little if any compensation. In 2009 he was one of the first Sounders Golden Scarf recipients.

Nate Sackeyfio and Michael Gallagher collect their first career goals as Washington upsets No. 8 UCLA, 2-1, at Westwood. The Huskies snap the Bruins' 16-game Pac-12 winning streak. Sackeyfio scores the games' first goal from 25 yards in the 13th minute, then a Michael Harris flip throw leads to Gallagher converting a rebound off the post in the 59th.

An onslaught of four second-half goals results in the worst competitive loss in Sounders FC history and an abrupt exit from the Champions League quarterfinals. Santos Laguna wins the second leg, 6-1, and the series, 7-3, on aggregate in Torreon, Mexico. Shortly before halftime, Alvaro Fernandez levels the aggregate at 3-3. However, former A-League Sounder Herculez Gomez scores in the 49th and 67th minutes, and all hopes fades for Seattle. Two more Santos goals come in the final 15 minutes. The Guerreros proceed to knock-out Toronto by 7-3 aggregate in the semifinals before falling to holders Monterrey, 3-2, in the final.

More than three years in the making, a reimagined Petrovitsky Park reopens with two full-sized, lighted synthetic turf soccer fields. So-called Petro Park is transformed over 42 months from underutilized and often unplayable dirt/sand fields into a jewel for Kent Youth Soccer and King County Parks. Washington Youth Soccer, KYSA, KCP and the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development combine to cover the $1.5 million cost.

After spotting L.A. a 3-0 lead in the first leg, Seattle nearly catches the Galaxy before being eliminated, 4-2 on aggregate, in the Western Conference finals at CenturyLink Field. The largest crowd for a non-MLS Cup final, 44,575, exhorts the Sounders on, and the Rave respond by scoring the game's first two goals and slicing the aggregate deficit to one. Eddie Johnson scores in the 12th minute, and Zach Scott heads in Christian Tiffert's corner in the 57th. But a controversial handball call against Adam Johansson gives Robbie Keane a penalty kick in the 68th and the comeback stalls.

Recently retired Kasey Keller is voted Professional Sports Star of the Year award at the 77th Seattle Sports Star of the Year at Benaroya Hall. Keller, 41, retired after helping lead the Sounders to their third straight U.S. Open Cup, recalled in his speech that he spent his first 17 years in pro soccer in Europe. He played three years in Seattle following 17 in Europe. Longtime Seahawks and Sounders executive Gary Wright is honored as the Sports Executive of the Year. Bob Robertson, the original broadcast voice of the NASL Sounders is given the Keith Jackson Award. Robertson is known primarily for his 52 years broadcasting Washington State football and basketball games.

Three members of Sounders Women figure prominently in a thrilling United States comeback vs. Canada in the Olympic semifinals at Manchester's Old Trafford. Megan Rapinoe collects two goals, Hope Solo's save extends the match to overtime, and Alex Morgan scores the dramatic winner in added time of the 4-3 triumph. Rapinoe's goals in the 54th (an Olimpico, no less) and 70th minutes twice bring the USWNT bring level, and her shot off the arm of a defender results in Abby Wambach's penalty to tie it, 3-3, in the 80th minute. Solo then stops Sophie Schmidt in the closing seconds of regulation. Finally, in the 123rd minute, Morgan heads in a Heather O'Reilly cross to complete the epic rally.

Michelle French, who grew up in Burien, is named Sounders Women head coach. French, 34, who played several seasons for the W-League team, is their first female coach. She earned 14 caps with the U.S. National Team. French replaces Leighton O'Brien.

Big Will Wren's brace gives 16th-ranked Whitworth a 2-0 home win over Linfield and coach Sean Bushey's 200th win. The 6-foot-5 Wren gets both of his goals in the first 26 minutes as the Pirates move to 4-0-1. Bushey, in his 17th season, has guided Whitworth into the NCAA Division III tournament six times, advancing as far as the 2005 semifinals. He also coached the women's program from 1997-2008.

Sounders fans overwhelmingly vote to retain Adrian Hanauer as general manager in the first such quadrennial poll of season-ticket holders and Alliance members. The determination is announced at the club's year-end business meeting at WaMu Theater. Out of 13,775 total votes, 13,271 (96 percent) are in favor of retaining Hanauer. It is believed to be the first vote of its kind in American professional sports.

Federal Way's Kelyn Rowe becomes the state's highest MLS collegiate draft pick with New England selecting him third overall in the SuperDraft. Rowe played for Crossfire Premier, then starred for two seasons at UCLA, earning 2010 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and 2011 Pac-12 Player of the Year. He is vying for a spot on 2012 Olympic team.

Eric Owen makes a record 14 saves in a 3-0 Saint Martin's loss to Colorado State Pueblo. Owen, a junior from Tacoma, also sets a new GNAC standard. Temperature at game time is 104 degrees in Phoenix.

Freshman Catherine Miles finds the net in the 71st minute and Western Washington once again secures a shutout, 1-0 over Central Washington, to clinch the GNAC regular season crown at Orca Field. It's the 10th consecutive shutout win for WWU, which has outscored opponents, 38-4. Central manages only two shots, with Jamie Arthurs making one save. Arthurs eclipsed WWU and GNAC season and career shutout records earlier in the season, finishing with 16 and 39.

The Sounders are flying into their Open Cup final following a 4-0 thrashing of L.A. Galaxy before 60,908 at CenturyLink Field. Surging Seattle is unbeaten in nine games across all competitions and within seven points of league-leading San Jose. Eddie Johnson's 10th goal comes off a Mauro Rosales cross in the sixth minute. In the second half, Fredy Montero, Alex Caskey and Andy Rose pour it on while new DP Christian Tiffert takes his first bow.

Six seasons after their birth as the Tacoma Tide, Pierce Country’s Premier Development League soccer team is becoming Sounders FC U-23s and part the MLS club's youth development program. Sounders FC U-23s will be coached by Darren Sawatzky and continue to be based in Pierce County, with most home games at Franklin Pierce High School and two at Cheney Stadium. However, they will swap their all-yellow kit for Rave Green.

A brace in four minutes Andrew French breaks open Whitworth's 6-0 drubbing of George Fox in Spokane, extending the 9th-ranked Pirates' unbeaten start to 15 games (12-0-3). Ryan Wood and Sam Selisch each assist on two goals.

Six years after a controversial resignation, Peter Fewing returns as Seattle University men's coach. Fewing, 49, had coached the Redhawks from 1988 to 2006 and led the team to an NAIA championship in 1997 and an NCAA Division II title in 2004. He left in 2007 amidst a clash with the school's previous athletic administration over a reduction of paid assistant coaches. Seattle U transitioned to Division I in 2008.

Puget Sound's dominance of the Northwest Conference goes on and on, with the Loggers clinching an 11th straight women's title by beating Pacific, 4-0, on the final day of the regular season at East Field. It is the longest stretch of league championships in Division III. Haley Rosenberg scores in each half for the ninth win in 10 games, seven of those by shutout.

Seattle trades away one Designated Player to make room for its next big signing, acquiring German midfielder Christian Tiffert. To make room, the Sounders swap Alvaro Fernandez to Chicago for allocation money. Tiffert, 30, has played with the Bundesliga's Kaiserslautern since 2010.

Osvaldo Alonso sets up Eddie Johnson's goal in the 31st minute, then converts a penalty kick just two minutes into the second half and Seattle Sounders go on to beat Chivas USA, 4-1, in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal before a packed Starfire Stadium. Three-time defending champion Seattle advances to its fourth straight USOC final, becoming the first to do so since a St. Louis club of three different names in 1937. Brad Evans and Sammy Ochoa score in the final seven minutes.

A three-goal, first-half barrage takes Seattle Sounders U23s to the top of the Northwest Division with a 3-0 win over North Sound SeaWolves on the final day of the regular season at Franklin Pierce High School. Sean Morris, Aodhan Quinn and Sean Okoli combine to make it 3-nil after 40 minutes. Winners of six straight, Seattle finishes four points in front of Portland and Kitsap. Four days earlier, the U23s staged a late, 2-1 comeback to beat the Pumas in Bremerton. A year earlier, as Tacoma Tide, they were dead last in the division.

It's only preseason but an overflow crowd estimated at 4,000 creates cup-final atmosphere for the Seattle Sounders Women-Seattle Pacific exhibition. They have come to see recently-signed USWNT stars Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Megan Rapinoe and Stephanie Cox. With a goal and assist, Morgan leads that star-studded cast to a 5-0 win. Fans fill the grandstand, bleachers and grass areas. The top-tier Women's Professional Soccer league averaged about 3,500 last season.

Dressed in the kits of their respective sponsoring pros, Washington and Colorado Unified Soccer teams wrap-up the season, with the Rave winning, 2-0. It's a return match after Special Olympics Washington hosted a match three weeks earlier in Seattle. Both games were held in conjunction with Sounders-Rapids matches. In between, a Manchester United squad (represented by youth from Federal Way Schools) played Washington, winning 1-0. The Sounders and Rapids are the first MLS clubs to adopt the initiative, growing the Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer exchange program.

Longtime NASL Sounders fan favorite Steve Buttle dies of cancer at his home in Norwich, England. He was 59. Buttle was Seattle's appearance leader (171, all competitions), playing five seasons (1977-82). His 44 assists in league play was also a record, and he was the only player on both the 1977 and 1982 Soccer Bowl teams. He came to Seattle after having played for English clubs Ipswich Town (1971-73) and Bournemouth (1973-77). He later served three-plus seasons as assistant coach for the Tacoma Stars.

Marcus Hahnemann has returned to his roots, joining Seattle Sounders FC after his rights were acquired with the No. 1 pick in the MLS allocation draft. Hahnemann, 40, returns to Seattle after 16 years, the last 13 in England, and most recently Everton. He has nine caps with the United States, serving as back-up on the 2006 and 2010 World Cup teams. Hahnemann, who played his first three pro seasons with the A-League Sounders after graduating from Seattle Pacific, makes his first start in a 3-1 Champions League win over Marathon on Oct. 24.

It's a three-way Cascadia run-off for MLS Goal of the Year, and Patrick Ianni's scissor volley vs. Sporting Kansas City comes out the winner. Ianni's June 20 blast earns 33 percent of the vote to become the first Sounders winner. Fredy Montero's dipping 35-yard stunner is third with 23 percent. Portland's Darlington Nagbe is runner-up (31 percent).

Skyline captures its fourth state 4A girls' crown in five years, edging Issaquah, 1-0, at Sparks Stadium. Izzy Marshall scores the game's only goal in the 15th minute, while Emily Baril and Jaeden Chew split the shutout. The Spartans earn back-to-back state titles for the second time, and it's the second time in four years they have beaten their nearby (seven miles) rival Eagles to do so. Marshall finishes Amanda Johnston's pass from 10 yards.

Bellingham United plays its inaugural home match before a spirited crowd of 1,473 at Civic Stadium, rewarding them with a late winner. Andrew Weishaar breaks through in the 85th minute, and the Hammers beat Langley Athletic, 3-2, in a Pacific Coast League contest. Kellan Brown scores the first two home goals, but owner Jeff McIntyre presents Brendan Quilici with a sledgehammer for man of the match. Bellingham United had offered free admission for life to fans that get a permanent tattoo of the club crest.

Washington completes a strong stretch run in the regular season to clinch second place in the Pac-12 with a 1-0 overtime victory at Oregon State. Michael Uyehara comes off the bench to fire four shots on goal, the last a left-foot strike in the 106th minute after his initial right-footer was blocked. Spencer Richey posts his ninth shutout and 24th of his career. After losing three of four in September, UW goes 8-1-2 down the stretch, with the only loss to No. 7 UCLA.

Laura Harvey, manager of Arsenal Ladies since 2009, has been named the first head coach of Seattle Reign FC. Harvey, 32, led Arsenal to three straight league titles 2009/10 in the FA Women's Premier League and then in 2010/11 and 2011/12 once the top tier became the FA Women's Super League. She also served as an assistant coach for the England women's national team from 2005-2011 at the U-17, U-19 and U-23 levels.

Emerging star Alex Morgan hits France for a couple goals, and the U.S. National Team survives an Olympic opening match test, 4-2, at Glasgow's Hampden Park. The French stun the favorites with two goals in the first 14 minutes. Morgan's first goal ties it before halftime, Carli Lloyd comes off the bench for a tiebreaking strike, and then Morgan corrals a long ball from Hope Solo to chip for the final goal.

Already headed for the W-League playoffs, Sounders Women win their fourth straight outing, 5-2, at Los Angeles. Lyndsey Patterson scores her fourth goals in three games, and Veronica Perez nets her fifth during the win streak, during which Seattle has a 15-3 goal differential.

While Sounders Women have been around for 12 years, this will be a season unlike any other. Two more internationals – Megan Rapinoe of the United States and Veronica Perez of Mexico – are joining the team in the wake of the WPS demise. Rapinoe is the fourth USWNT member, and within a week Stephanie Cox will make it five. Perez, who played at the University of Washington, returns to Sounders Women after first joining the W-League team in 2009.

Seattle Pacific comes within inches of an upset victory for the Far West regional semifinals at La Jolla, Calif. The Falcons fall to 5th-ranked UC San Diego, 2-1, in overtime on a golden goal in the 104th minute. Megan Lindsay's 12th goal of the year (and 41st of her career) ties it, and Annie Thomas hits the underside of the cross bar with 5 seconds remaining in regulation.