Story and photos by Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Saturday night at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ soccer team suffered a heartbreaking district-tournament loss to Tukwila’s Foster High School, falling in a dramatic penalty-kick shootout, 1-1 (3-1).

With a berth in the state-championship tournament on the line, both teams played with passion, intensity and grit. Sealth struck early in the first half when Seijiro Azinger netted a quick goal, giving the Seahawks a 1-0 lead they held for most of the game. Controlling possession and dictating the pace, Sealth looked poised to close it out. But despite dominating the run of play, the team couldn’t capitalize on its scoring opportunities and it came back to haunt them.

Late in the second half, the game took a stunning turn. The referee called a rarely enforced violation on the Sealth goalkeeper for holding the ball longer than six seconds — violating the so-called “six-second rule,” which requires the ball to be put back in play promptly. The call awarded Foster an indirect free kick from where the goalie had been holding the ball — in this case from point-blank range. The Foster players crowded on the goal line and managed to tip in the kick, leveling the score at 1-1.

Neither team could break the deadlock through two tense five-minute overtime periods, sending the match to penalty kicks. There, Foster’s goalkeeper emerged as the hero, making three crucial saves. Sealth managed just one conversion as Foster claimed the shootout 3-1.

The final whistle triggered an outpouring of emotion. Several Sealth players collapsed on the turf, devastated by the sudden end to a hard-fought season. It was a cruel reminder of soccer’s unforgiving nature — where a single call, a missed chance, or a brilliant save can change everything.

By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Tomorrow, West Seattle soccer fans will get their first look at the new pre-professional soccer team Rhodies FC, and you’re invited to March to the Match, too.

Named for the Rhododendron flower, to represent a commitment to community and strength, The Rhodies will make their home debut Sunday at 2 pm against Ballard’s Salmon Bay FC. The Rhodies are affiliated with West Seattle Junction FC, which made its own debut a year ago, following a trend of growth for pre-professional soccer across the last several years.

As a new USL W League team, the Rhodies are joining an ever-expanding network of almost 100 clubs across the country, since the league’s inaugural season in 2022.

(Rhodies Head Coach Lyndsey Patterson at a recent training session – photo by Erik Sandvik @slow_snaps)

The Rhodies’ head coach is Lyndsey Patterson, a 24-year veteran of women’s soccer with experience coaching at University of Tennessee and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as a professional career spanning seven years, including time with Seattle Reign FC and Seattle Sounders Women.

The ties to West Seattle Junction FC, the Rhodies are embedded in the community. According to their website, “Just as Rhododendrons thrive in clusters, our strength lies in unity. We are deeply connected to West Seattle, committed to building relationships that strengthen our local soccer culture and bring people together.”

The Rhodies’ home field is Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). Fans are invited to get there via a family-friendly March to the Match ahead of time, from EC Hughes Playground a few blocks north. Here’s the plan:

Participating in the march and its adjacent activities is free, but tickets will be required to watch the Rhodies play. They are available online here. Tomorrow is one of five home matches on the Rhodies’ inaugural schedule.

Story and photos by Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The Chief Sealth International High School softball team cruised to a 22-4 victory over Tukwila’s Foster High School 22-4 on Friday night in the 2A District tournament at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex.

The Seahawks jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead in the first inning, fueled by clutch hits by Maddie Moeller and Olivia Dunham (photo above), along with several defensive miscues by Foster. Sealth broke the game wide open in the second inning, starting with a lead-off triple by Allie Ohta (photo below).

The offensive onslaught continued with RBI doubles by Lauren Moore and Ava Boisoneau, powering the team to a 22-2 lead.

The Foster girls were never able to muster a serious threat as Seahawks starting pitcher Danica Thach (photo above) kept the Bulldogs’ hitters off-balance throughout the game.

With this win, the Sealth Seahawks keep their hopes of making the State Tournment alive. Coach Breena Belgarde said, “We’re excited. We’re focused on playing one game at a time and taking our team as far as we can go.”

The team’s next game is scheduled for 1:00 pm today (Saturday, May 17) at Juanita High School in Kirkland, where they will face the winner of the 11 am game between Nathan Hale and Evergreen (White Center).