Seattle Wolves News Release - www.seattlewolvesfc.com

Friday, July 3, 2009

TUKWILA, WA -- On Friday the Seattle Wolves Football Club (7-3-3) drew 3-3 with the Victoria Highlanders (3-5-4) in a compelling encounter at Starfire Stadium.

Throughout their inaugural Premier Development League campaign the Wolves have displayed the ability to come from behind on several occasions, and Friday’s match was no different.

Trailing for the majority of the match by a two-goal difference, Seattle rallied through wingers Alex Klein and Ely Allen. The draw keeps the Wolves in the third and final playoff position in the PDL Northwest Division with three matches remaining in 2009.

Victoria came into the contest riding the momentum of their 6-1 thrashing of Yakima, and their confidence was evident beneath the lights of Starfire Stadium.

A large Seattle crowd came out to support the Wolves, but despite the vociferous efforts of these supporters Victoria scored in only the third minute of play.

Patrick Gawrys picked up an errant Seattle clearance at the top of the 18-yard box, and the Victoria striker slotted the ball past goalkeeper Chris Blais.

Both teams failed to retain useful possession throughout the first half, though Seattle did conjure up a few noteworthy opportunities. The greatest of these came in 37th minute, when Allen pierced Victoria’s right flank and switched the ball back inside to his left foot.

Highlander goalkeeper Jose Herrera corralled Allen’s shot, but the Wolves did not stop trying to find an equalizing goal.

Rightwing Alex Klein almost achieved this feat by smashing a deflected shot into Herrera’s outstretched arms in the 45th minute. Though the winger did not score, this effort marked his intentions for the second half.

However, it was Victoria that struck at the restart when winger Jason Devenish buried a Darren Jones rebound into Seattle’s goal in the 53rd minute.

Many sides would have been too dejected to mount a comeback following a 2-0 deficit on home soil, but once again the Wolves displayed their collective resilience.

In the 57th minute Allen splintered Victoria’s backline, delivering the ball to the feet of Alex Klein. The winger buried his opportunity, eliciting an energetic response from the home crowd.

Klein sprinted back to the center circle in an effort to urge his teammates to find a second goal, and Alex Chursky nearly did one minute later. The veteran target man careened a blistering shot off of Herrera’s crossbar, preserving Victoria’s 2-1 advantage.

Defenders Daniel Scott and Jamie Finch prevented Victoria from increasing their lead, as both players cleared Blais’ line at the other end of the pitch.

In the 69th minute the Wolves reaped the reward of their efforts, when Klein fired home Seattle’s second goal of the evening. Finch began the build-up from the left, swinging the ball into Chursky.

The striker kept play alive by redirecting the ball to Sean Morris on the right wing, and the midfielder delivered precise service to Klein at the top of the six-yard box.

Nevertheless, action did not cease at that point in the match, as Victoria substitute Lennart Dobravsky beat Chris Blais at his far post to regain the lead for his side.

Dobravasky spurned Seattle’s defense by raiding the right wing, and then fired a powerful lowball into the Wolves net.

Seattle came from behind once again through Ely Allen in the 90th minute, when the winger received a weighted through ball from Morris at the top of Victoria’s six-yard box. Allen buried the goal into Herrera’s net and immediately went to the corner flag to salute Seattle’s elated fan base.

Wolves manager Seth Spidahl commented, “I am pleased overall with the result, as the team battled from behind once again and kept themselves in this extremely tight playoff base.”

Indeed, the share of the points keeps Seattle above the fourth place Cascade Surge, who drew 1-1 with the Abbotsford Mariners earlier in the evening.

The Wolves travel to play Victoria once more on Sunday afternoon, and then the club heads south to Salem, Oregon to battle Cascade head-to-head on July 11th.

Both matches will likely determine Seattle’s playoff survival, creating an extremely finish to the 2009 regular season.