Get your own Free Home Page
CHULA VISTA -- What was once a roller-coaster ride has, at least for the moment, become a runaway train.
The Flash, San Diego's first-year entry in soccer's A-League, won its fourth straight game last night with a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders before 3,261 at Southwestern College's Devore Stadium.
Unable to string together consecutive wins in its first eight games, the Flash (7-4, 18 points) moved to within one point of first-place Orange County (8-5, 22 points), which hosts Seattle tonight.
The Sounders (5-5, 13 points), who had won three straight, had beaten the Flash in two previous meetings this season.
"Each game, we're starting to know each other that much more," said midfielder Nate Hetherington, a product of San Dieguito High and USD who got one of the team's two goals. "We've been together a few months now, and with each game and each practice we've worked hard to develop into a group."
The Flash, which is now 6-0 when scoring first in games, took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute on a goal by midfielder Carlos Farias, who found the far right corner of the net when he rifled an unassisted free kick past Seattle goaltender Dusty Hudock.
The goal was the fourth of the season for Farias, who took over the team lead in both goals scored (four) and points (nine).
But as efficient as the Flash has been offensively (Seattle had not allowed a goal in three games), no team in the league is playing better defense. The club has not allowed a goal in 360 minutes.
Flash goaltender Joe Cannon, who entered the game with a 0.79 goals-against average, recorded his fourth straight shutout and sixth of the season.
Seattle scored an apparent goal with 24 seconds remaining in the game, but was whistled for a hand ball. In the process, Flash defenseman Carlos Cruz was red-carded, a foul that led to a penalty kick by Sounders midfielder Stoner Tadlock. But Cannon refused to yield, making his 10th save of the game, a season high.
"I feel like I'm playing pretty solid, but it's basically the defense playing tight and me getting the breaks in goal," Cannon said. "I'm just doing my job back there, and sometimes you get lucky.
"Seattle is a great team, but I really think we outplayed them. We really have a lot of confidence right now. Every time we come on the field we expect to win."
The Flash padded its lead in the 42nd minute of the first half when a shot by Farias ricocheted off Hudock's chest and was redirected into the net by Hetherington.
"I think a lot of us were a little nervous early in the season, because the word has always been that San Diego only supports winners," Cannon said. "Maybe now we'll start to get some of that support."
Get your own Free Home Page