Sounders
Missed chances cost Seattle

By Matt Massey
Special to The Seattle Times

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Welton usually makes good on the kind of scoring chance that was presented to him in the 66th minute last night.

Open net. No one to beat. Except himself.

A short Welton miss ended up haunting the Seattle Sounders as the visiting Rochester Raging Rhinos stole a 1-0 victory in last night's A-League match in front of 3,850 fans at Seahawks Stadium.

Welton got free in front of the goal after Roger Levesque drew Rochester goalkeeper Soren Johnson away from the net. But after getting the pass, Welton tapped an 11-yard shot off the outside of the right post.

"I cleared the space to score the goal," said Welton. "I waited for the goalkeeper to come out and I got the touch, but I hit the post."

Raging Rhinos forward Chris Carrieri headed in a 6-yard shot from the left side for the game-winner in the 76th minute. The shot froze Sounders goalkeeper Preston Burpo on a tough angle, as Carrieri converted a long cross from the right side for the goal.

Rochester (9-2-1) moved into the lead in the Eastern Conference with 28 points. The Sounders (5-5-1) remain in a tie for third place with Vancouver in the West with 16 points.

The loss boiled down to two plays that weren't made: Welton's missed opportunity and forward Darren Sawatzky's missed coverage on Carrieri's goal.

"Everyone that looks at the tape is going to see we have Darren Sawatzky, a veteran guy, not marking up at the back post," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "Everybody's going to forget about that and not Welton's attempt. Obviously, this loss is frustrating."

Said Sawatzky: "We got caught on the weak side and, boom, it's in the back of the net. We've got to get points at home. When you give up a goal like that you've got to battle back and score a goal."
 

Other game

Vancouver Whitecaps Women 1, Sounders Women 0

The Sounders Women (6-2-1) were shut out for the first time this season, falling to Vancouver in a W-League match at Seahawks Stadium. Midfielder Brittany Timko headed in a bouncing ball at the near post from 6 yards out in the 41st minute for Vancouver (5-0-1), which remained undefeated but still trails the Sounders 19-16 in points in the Western Conference standings.

Seattle failed to muster any serious threats on offense, getting outshot 21-6 and seeing its three-game win streak snapped.