Aodhan Quinn – Photo Credit: Chris Coulter/Sounders FC U23

Sounders FC U23 – 3, Vancouver Whitecaps U23 – 3 – More from SoundersU23.com

Goals by Luis Esteves, Aodhan Quinn and Sean Okoli put the Sounders U23s up 3:1 late into the game. But a 71st minute goal by Caleb Clarke and an 86th minute goal by Ben Fisk drew the Whitecaps U23s even and the two teams left the pitch with a Cascadia rivalry 3:3 draw in front of 712 fans at Cheney Stadium. It was the first soccer game played in 35 years at Cheney Stadium.

Next up for the Sounders U23s is another Cascadia rival, the Portland Timbers U23s at Tumwater Stadium on Saturday night. Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased here or at the gate. First kick is scheduled for 6:00 PM.

Fernando Monge – Photo credit: Chris Coulter/SoundersPhotos.com

As part of the Seattle Sounders Youth Development Program, the Sounders U23 are coached by the program’s director, Darren Sawatzky. Sawatzky has brought home a whole host of local players that left the area for college including midfielder Fernando Monge, an Eastside Catholic alum that played in every game for national semifinalist UCLA, goalkeeper Doug Herrick, who recorded 10 shutouts en route to the elite eight with Saint Mary’s and Universty of Akron freshman All-American DeAndre Yedlin, also an O’Dea alum.

The Sounders have opened their inaugural season with two wins, one loss and two ties and are third in the PDL’s Northwest Division with eight points behind the undefeated Portland Timbers U23s and the defending PDL champion Kitsap Pumas. The Sounders opened the season with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps U23s in Burnaby. They suffered their worst loss to the Pumas in Bremerton on May 19th and played to a scoreless tie with the Victoria Highlanders in their only home game so far this season.

Monge leads the Sounders with three goals while former Sounders Academy and Highline Community College striker Darwin Jones, Akron’s Aodhan Quinn and Seattle University grad Sean Morris have each added one goal for the Sounders. Morris, a midfielder that works in the Seattle Sounders FC youth program, has been called up twice to the Sounders Reserves and has made appearances against the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA reserves.

One thing that is striking about the Sounders U23 roster is how many local players, including Sounders Academy players, have left the Northwest to play college soccer. The roster is dotted with University of Washington Huskies but the starting lineup is primarily composed of local players from colleges across the nation. Besides Monge, Herrick and Yedlin, the team includes Two Wake Forest Deamon Deacons – Sean Okoli of Federal Way and Anthony Arena of Kenmore, Bellevue’s Liam Kelly originally went to Creighton before transferring to the University of San Francisco, and Federal Way’s Troy Peterson – a sophomore at the College of Charleston.

DeAndre Yedlin – Photo credit: Chris Coulter/SoundersPhotos.com

Sounders FC U23 takes on Portland Timbers FC U23 on Saturday, June 2nd at Tumwater Stadium. Tickets for this historic Cascadia rivalry game are just $10 and can be purchased in advance here or at the gates. first kick is scheduled for 6:00 PM

Two years ago the Tacoma Tide teamed up with Blackhills FC and moved their home game against the Abbotsford Mariners to Tumwater Stadium. Tide owner Mike Jennings took it as an opportunity to gauge the interest level of the Olympia area in soccer, to see if the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League, the fourth tier of American soccer and top amateur league, could be successful in Thurston County. Unfortunately, the game was poorly attended, as all Tacoma Tide games were. Neither the team nor Blackhills FC properly promoted the game and the Tide weren’t exactly a draw for the casual (or even hardcore) soccer fans in the area. Soccer at this level, it seemed, was dead for Olympia.

Two years later, Olympia gets a second chance when the Tacoma franchise returns to Tumwater Stadium albeit under very different circumstances. Most importantly this time, the Tide no longer exist. Following years of poor attendance and losing money, Jennings sold the team to two Pierce County businessmen, Lane Smith and Cliff McElroy. The new owners teamed up with the Seattle Sounders and moved the Tide under the umbrella of the Sounders Youth Development Program and changed the team’s name to Sounders FC U23.

So Saturday, when the PDL comes back to town, it doesn’t come back with just any team. It comes back sporting the name of the most popular franchise in American soccer today. And they don’t just play a random team from the Fraser Valley. With the Portland Timbers they bring the most rabid rivalry in all of American soccer to town. Whether that rivalry will trickle down to the junior members of the Sounders and Timbers franchises remains to be seen, but it won’t be your typical PDL match either way.

The game is another tryout for the Olympia area and a good crowd of both Sounders and Timbers fans will ensure that Olympia will see future PDL games. However, that doesn’t mean that Olympia will be getting their own PDL team any time soon regardless of how well the game is attended. The Sounders U23s own the rights to a PDL team in Thurston County and have made a commitment to stay in Pierce County. If anything, the U23s will abandon Pierce County in a few years to play at Starfire in Tukwilla where the Sounders youth program and their sister Sounders Women team are based. That will take an agreement with Washington Crossfire, who hold the rights to King County. But with Crossfire’s PDL team averaging less than 75 fans a game in Issaquah, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Where does that leave high level soccer in Olympia?

Olympia does have semi-pro soccer. Thurston County Premier FC has a semi-pro team that competes in the American National Soccer League but they are not spectator friendly and are practically a secret organization. There is no schedule of their games online, no roster and almost no information of any kind is available. It is hard to even acknowledge that they exist.

The optimist might look at the model being forged by Bellingham United. The Hammers play in the Pacific Coast Soccer League and have grown a solid following in their inaugural season. But Olympia would be a bit far flung for the otherwise British Columbia based PCSL and would require committed and competent ownership and management to be successful, a skill and requirement that nobody has demonstrated in this town yet at any level.

Sounders FC U23 takes on Portland Timbers FC U23 on Saturday, June 2nd at Tumwater Stadium. Tickets for this historic Cascadia rivalry game are just $10 and can be purchased in advance here or at the gates. first kick is scheduled for 6:00 PM

Here are all of the Olympia area players honored by the EvCo broken down by school:

Black Hills
Second team: Alyssa Nelson – So. – P, Taylor Pottschmidt – Sr. – INF
Honorable mention: Makenzy Tarrow – Jr., Liana McCann – Sr.

North Thurston
First team: Dominique Greeno – Fr. – INF
Honorable mention: Brianna Perry – Sr.

River Ridge
Honorable mention: Bri Attwood – Fr.

Tumwater
Pitching MVP: Kierstin Smith – Sr.
Offensive MVP: Alyssa Ubrun – So.
First team: Gabby Vidallon – So. – Util
Honorable mention: Alexa McDaniel – So., Ashley Wells – Sr., Makayla Glasgo – So., Sarah Orgill – Sr.

Meg Wochnick has the full all-EvCo teams at The Olympian.

4A Doubles
•Hunter Wood/John Stormans – Olympia 2, Alec Tsutsumoto/Andrew Choi -Newport 0
•Hunter Wood/John Stormans – Olympia 2, Mark Bright/Connor Horne – Union 0 – STATE CHAMPS!

2A Singles/Doubles
•Jimmy Do – Black Hills 2, Zach Drake – Tumwater 1 – Drake eliminated
•Drew Dawson – Franklin Pierce 2, Jimmy Do – Black Hills 0 – Do takes 8th place

•Adrian Villanuva/Sam Bayna – Lindbergh 2, Ryan Gudbranson/Evan Gudbranson – Tumwater 0 – Gudbransons eliminated
•Kenny Saari/Cody Schultz – WF West 2, Jooneil Ahn/Scott Vannerson – North Thurston 0 – Ahn/Vannerson eliminated

Girls tennis – state tournament

2A Singles/Doubles
•Anna Lefebvre – Burlington-Edison 2,
Julie Hansen – Black Hills 1
•Bella Hoyos – Bellingham 2, Julie Hansen – Black Hills 0 – Hansen takes 6th place

•Emily Barclift/McKenzie Click – Tumwater 2, Kaiti Dell/Megan Schrenk – Selah 0
•Lindsey Wicklein/Erica Daniels – Kingston 2, Emily Barclift/McKenzie Click – Tumwater 0 – Barclift/Click take 7th place

High school softball

Tumwater 4, Selah 2
W.F. West 15, Tumwater 3 – T-Birds take 2nd place!

Boys soccer

Archbishop Murphy 2, Tumwater 0 – T-Birds take 4th place

The Tumwater soccer team may have had their undefeated season and state title hopes disappear last night with a 2-0 loss to Fife, but they can still take home third place in state by beating Archbishop Murphy at Sunset Chevy Stadium in Sumner. Game time is at noon.

In the state tennis tournament, Olympia’s Hunter Wood and John Stormans play in the semifinals against Alex Tsutsumoto and Andrew Choi of Newport. Both pairs have swept through the first two rounds winning two sets to none. Black Hills’ Julie Hansen is also still alive for a state championship. She plays Anna Lefebvre of Burlington-Edison in the semis this morning at the Nordstrom Tennis Center at the University of Washington.

And if you are looking for something to do close to Olympia, South Sound Speedway continues their racing season with mini stocks, hobby stocks, street stocks, legends and bump to pass racing. Qualifying is at 5:00 PM and racing starts at 6:30.

Fife 2, Tumwater 0

Tumwater’s undefeated run came to an end at the hands of the Fife Trojans. The T-Birds play for third place tomorrow at noon in Sumner.

High school softball – state tournament

Tumwater 12, Cheney 2
Tumwater 8, Granite Falls 1

Tumwater breezed through the first two rounds of the state tournament in Selah today and now face Selah at Carlon Park tomorrow in the semi-finals at 10:00 AM.

Boys tennis – state tournament

4A Doubles
•Hunter Wood/John Stormans – Olympia 2, Allen Kim/Matt Sham – Newport 0
•Hunter Wood/John Stormans – Olympia 2, Brett Meyer/Zach Fisher – Richland 0

3A Singles
•Jordan Smith – Mercer Island 2, Jeremy Marsh – Timberline 0
•Mitch Anderson – West Valley 2, Jeremy Marsh – Timberline 0 – Marsh eliminated

2A Singles/Doubles
•Ryan Adams – Clarkston 2, Jason Agtarap – North Thurston 0
•Drew Dawson – Franklin Pierce 2, Jason Agtarap – North Thurston 0 – Agtarap eliminated
•Drew Adams – Clarkston 2, Zach Drake – Tumwater 1
•Zach Drake – Tumwater 2, Nick Smith – Sehome 0
•Zach Fohn – North Kitsap 2, Jimmy Do – Black Hills 0
•Jimmy Do, Black Hills 2, Blake Andrews – Medical Lake 0

•Ryan Gudbranson/Evan Gudbranson – Tumwater 2, Abel Pasillas/Stevan Ramirez – Grandview 0
•Reed Welch/EJ Troutman – Bellingham 2, Ryan Gudbranson/Evan Gudbranson – Tumwater 0
•Ismael Teshome/Jake Wesselman – Medical Lake 2, Jooneil Ahn/Scott Vannerson – North Thurston 0
•Jooneil Ahn/Scott Vannerson – North Thurston 2, Nolan Wolffis/Luke Reardon – Lynden 0

Girls tennis – state tournament

4A Singles
•Sabrina Demerath – Inglemoor 2, Gemma Robinson – Olympia 0
•Kailyn Skjonsby – South Kitsap 2, Gemma Robinson – Olympia 0 – Robinson eliminated

3A Singles
•Catherine Allen – Holy Names 2, Natalie Sypeck – Timberline 0
•Esther Kwon – Camas 2, Natalie Sypeck – Timberline 0 – Sypeck eliminated

2A Singles/Doubles
•Julie Hansen – Black Hills 2, Hayley Newman – South Whidbey 0
•Julie Hansen – Black Hills 2, Miriam Tuma – Sumner 1

•Emily Barclift/McKenzie Click – Tumwater 2, Sam Simmons/Emma Scherschligt – East Valley 0
•Becca WIlson/Claire Krause – Squalicum 2, Emily Barclift/McKenzie Click – Tumwater 1

International Basketball League

Bellingham Slam 145, Olympia Reign 94

In less than an hour the Tumwater softball team kicks off their state bid against Cheney at Carlon Park in Selah. The T-Birds are 20-2 on the season an is District IV’s #2 seed while Cheney, at 19-6, are the #2 seed out of District VII. The winner moves on to play either White River or Granite Falls later this afternoon. First pitch is at 10:00 AM.

The 2A state soccer semifinals kicks off with the Tumwater soccer team taking on Fife at Sunset Chevy Stadium in Sumner. Both teams come in with 19 wins and zero losses. The T-Birds Connor Sigmon and Kevin Weyand have teamed up to score 43 goals this season but will have to play a even more dynamic duo in Caesar Esquival and Victor Mansaray, who have scored 52 goals between them for the Trojans. The winner goes to the finals on Saturday against either Archbishop Murphy or Cheney. First kick tonight is at 6:00 PM.

Portland Chinooks 136, Olympia Reign 101

Everett Spencer scored 32 points and pulled down 14 boards and David Lucas chipped in 30 points as the Portland Chinooks easily knocked off the Olympia Reign, 136-101.

The Reign took a 33-30 lead after one quarter but were taken to the woodshed in the second getting outscored 37-17 as the Chinooks took a 67-50 lead at halftime. Despite the lead, the Chinooks didn’t take their foot off the pedal in the second half scoring 69 points by shooting 22-for-35 (63%) from the field and hitting seven three pointers.

The Reign were led by Nick Moore’s 25 points and Mike Ward’s 21. The Reign drop to 2-7 on the season and it doesn’t get any easier. Tomorrow they head to Bellingham for a showdown with the first place Slam.

Men’s soccer

South Sound FC U20s 5, Thurston County Premier FC 1