Originally published Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Sounders battered 3-0 by Puerto Rico at home

There was once a time in the last four years when the Seattle Sounders looked unbeatable while playing on their home pitch. They were unbeaten in...

By MATT MASSEY

Special to The Seattle Times

TUKWILA — There was once a time in the last four years when the Seattle Sounders looked unbeatable while playing on their home pitch.

They were unbeaten in their first seven matches this season at Starfire Sports & Entertainment Complex.

Enter the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Edson Elcock scored twice to end his goal-less season and the Islanders knocked off the Sounders 3-0 Friday in front of 3,266 fans.

The Islanders (12-6-4) moved into sole possession of first place in the USL First Division, breaking a points tie with Vancouver.

The match was the first of seven consecutive home matches to end the 2008 season and it wasn't a good start to the homestand. The Sounders (13-9-8 overall, 8-8-8 league, 32 points) looked out of sync offensively all night and repeatedly made unforced errors.

"Commitment and dedication is something you shouldn't have to address as a professional," said Sounders defender Danny Jackson, whose team came off a 2-1 loss to Charleston in penalty kicks Tuesday in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. "But it's definitely something we'll have to address before the next game."

Puerto Rico is one of just two teams to beat the Sounders at Starfire, handing them their first loss at the Tukwila facility in the 2007 playoff semifinals.

Seattle is 12-3-4 overall at Starfire. It was Seattle's second bad loss at home in its last three matches, following a 3-1 defeat against Rochester on July 18.

The Islanders went up 1-0 when Noah Delgado took a crack from outside the top left side of the penalty area and nailed the shot from 20 yards in the 38th minute. Delgado's left-footed blast glanced off the right hand of Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander.

Up 1-0, the Islanders dominated the first half and outshot Seattle 8-4.

Elcock buried a 16-yard shot into the left corner of the net from the right side for a 2-0 lead in the 59th minute. Elcock scored on a curving, left-footed shot in the 65th minute.

Note

• Seattle was without starters Josh Gardner (hamstring), Leighton O'Brien (broken arm), Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar (calf) and Jason Cascio (yellow-card points suspension).

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