A Fortress Penetrated

The video highlight of Lamar Neagle's fantastic goal

The Sounders have ended another team's home unbeaten streak tonight, this time Real Salt Lake in the fortress that is Rio Tinto Stadium. Things were all even heading into the second half, and after a fairly flat first half the game birst into life early into the first half. It all started with RSL defender Jamison Olave pulling down Mike Fucito as the striker was sprinting with the ball into the box, and the tables quickly turned in Seattle's favor from there. With the man advantage the Sounders saw much more of the posession, and were able to really start stringing passes together far more effectively. The game really turned in favor of the Sounders when the scoring started in the seventy-second minute. Tyson Wahl swung the ball into the box off a corner kick, where Nate Jaqua directed the ball down with his head where it ricocheted off of the toe of Fredy Montero into the feet of Patrick Ianni who easily tapped it in. The Sounders then doubled their advantage in the eighty-fourth minute when Wahl popped the ball over to a completely open and un-marked Lamar Neagle who turned and rocketed a shot into the goal past a hopelessly reaching Nick Rimando. Sadly the Sounders couldn't maintain the clean sheet, allowing RSL to get back into the game in the eighty-seventh minute through Nelson Gonzalez. Thankfully, unlike last season's visit to Rio Tinto, the Sounders were able to hold on and see the game out without much further incident.

Notes:

• Up until tonight's match, Real Salt Lake had maintained a twenty nine game unbeaten streak at Rio Tinto
• With his goal tonight Tacoma-native Lamar Neagle opens his MLS/Sounders scoring account and nets his first game-winning goal
• With their two goals tonight the Sounders have singled handedly doubled RSL's number of goals allowed which is now up to four
• With the three points they picked up tonight, the Sounders now have sole claim of third place in the western conference and match the points total of the leader in the eastern conference