The Seattle Sounders benefited from a perfect three-man weave by three rookies last night.

Gabe Sturm scored in the 86th minute after two precision passes from fellow rookies Brett Wiesner and Brent Whitfield, who had the assist, as the Sounders dusted off the rust for a 1-0 victory over the Rochester Raging Rhinos in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division match in front of 1,799 fans at Qwest Field.

Sturm, a 2004 University of San Francisco graduate, tallied his first professional goal after entering the game in the 75th minute. He buried a left-footed shot from just inside goalkeeper's box after the play started on the right side.

"I was a great combination play by Wiesner and [Whitfield]," said Sturm, who didn't make the traveling squad for the Sounders' first trip June 3-4. "Brent did a great job of picking me up in a crowd. There was no way I was going to miss with the ball [Whitfield] gave me."

The play started when Roger Levesque took a throw-in from Whitfield and found Wiesner at the corner of the 18-yard penalty area.

Seattle (7-1-2 overall, 5-1-2 USL First Division) ran its unbeaten streak to eight matches, including six in USL play for 17 points and a tie for third place. Rochester slipped to 5-5-1 and sixth place with 16 points.

"Somebody [general manager Adrian Hanauer] said we had an awfully light bench tonight," said coach Brian Schmetzer, whose Sounders played without six regulars. "That's just a great team effort. We had great goalkeeping and great defense."

The match marked the first time in 27 days that the Sounders played a USL First Division match at home and 17 days since its last league match, a 2-1 win at Virginia Beach on June 4.

"We've just got some great chemistry that's been building," Sturm said after Seattle posted its third 1-0 home win of the season.

Both teams lost a player in the 50th minute when Sounders defender Billy Sleeth fouled Rochester's Billy Sedgewick just outside the penalty area. Sedgewick and Sleeth tangled on the ground, and Sedgewick bit Sleeth's left calf. That provoked Sleeth, whose bloody bite marks were visible after the game, to kick Sedgewick.

Seattle rookie midfielder C.J. Klaas sat out last night's match, serving the first of a three-game suspension for throwing a forearm at Virginia Beach's Darren Caskey on June 4. Levesque, normally a starting forward, took Klaas' place at central midfielder. Franklin Chacon, in his rookie season, made his first start in place of Levesque up front.

Seattle goalkeeper Preston Burpo registered his sixth USL shutout and eighth overall this season.

Rochester's Kirk Wilson had a goal negated by an offsides call in the 27th minute. The first half was scoreless with much of the action being played in the neutral third of the field.

Note

• The July 8 match between the Sounders and the Portland Timbers has been moved from Qwest Field to Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila to accommodate the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 7 and 9. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be televised live on Fox Sports World.

Sounders summary

SOUNDERS 1, RAGING RHINOS 0

Rochester Raging Rhinos	0 0 — 0
Seattle Sounders	0 1 — 1

Goals — Sea: 1, Gabe Sturm (Brent Whitfield) 86:00. Roc: None. Shots — Roc 9, Sea 6. Saves — Roc (Scott Vallow) 1, Sea (Preston Burpo) 1. Fouls — Roc 15, Sea 11. Offsides — Roc 2, Sea 5. Corner kicks — Roc 3, Sea 6. Cautions — Roc (Jonathan Bolaņos 41:00, Mauro Carabajal 47:00, Frankie Sanfillippo 55:00, Pato Aguilera 62:00, Rene Rivas 90:00), Sea (None). Ejections — Roc (Billy Sedgewick 50:00), Sea (Billy Sleeth 50:00). A — 1,799.