Sounders right back Kelli Smith clears a header off the goal line after a Colorado Force corner kick during the first half in Loveland. Seattle won 1-0 on Wednesday. The play was the closest the Force came to scoring. (photo by Zane Tanner/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Michelle French scored in the 32nd minute as the Seattle Sounders began a two-game road swing through the Centennial State with a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Force on Wednesday at the Loveland Sports Park.

Chalise Baysa played a long ball up the middle to a streaking French, who found herself alone on a breakaway. As French approached Kara Linder, the Force goalkeeper dove to her left and French slotted the ball into the other side of the net.

“Our forwards split out wide, which created a big gap down the middle. And then Chalise played an awesome ball down the middle,” French said. “I felt like I had 500 hours to settle the ball and clean it up and put it in. I was very lucky to be that open at the time.”

French found herself in nearly the same position in the 86th minute. Alone on another breakaway, French attempted to finesse the ball into the upper corner instead of challenging Linder directly. 

“It was almost the exact same play, but this time I didn’t have a good angle,” French said. “I was going in more straight at the goal instead of coming in from the side, and I’m usually never in that position.”

French’s second opportunity was a rare piece of offense from Seattle in the second half. Trailing 1-0 at the intermission, the Force players dominated in the second half. Colorado coach Craig Deacon said altering his strategy played a role in the transformation.

“We were very disappointed at halftime. We regrouped. We thought about some of the things we weren’t doing and tried to correct them,” Deacon said. “Switching formations was OK. We definitely had the run of the play in the second half.”

The Force opened with a 4-4-2 with Nikki Marshall playing along the back line. But in the second half, the team switched to a 3-4-3 and pushed Marshall up into the midfield to attack. The results were visible almost immediately.

Jestina Orlando threaded in two nice crosses from the wing in the first two minutes of the second half, and she followed up with others in the 56th and 58th minutes.

In the 52nd minute, Monica Dolinsky took the hardest shot of the game, testing Seattle goalkeeper Kylie Broadbent. Dolinsky missed a direct free kick in the 77th minute, and Marshall cracked a shot wide in the 87th minute.

But the Force couldn’t find the euqualizer.

“We definitely deserved a goal,” Deacon said. “I think anyone who was watching the game could’ve said a tie would’ve been a fair result.”

WOMAN OF THE MATCH: French. She scored the goal and nearly made it 2-0. “Any time you give Michelle French a chance to run at the keeper one on one, she’s going to tuck it away,” Deacon said. “Very good player.”

FORCE’S WOMAN OF THE MATCH: The Force chose Dolinsky as its player of the game. Her two second half shots were as close as the Force came to scoring after the break. Left back Zoe Avner also played well; she was active defensively along the back and didn’t hesitate to join the attack, venturing deep into the left offensive flank.
 
MARSHALL HURT: With the Force applying pressure during the second half, Marshall tried to win a 50-50 ball in the attacking third with a slide tackle. She lay on the ground for a few minutes and received attention on what appeared to be her left calf. She walked to the sideline, rubbed her left calf and re-entered the game at the first opportunity. But after her shot in the 87th minute, she left the field almost immediately and was relieved in the lineup by Jessica Boots. “It’s hard, in the first three to four games of the season, to have that match-day fitness,” Deacon said. “You can train all you want. You can play as many scrimmages as you want. But there’s no substitute for the speed of the game. After about two or three games and two or three more weeks under their legs, they’ll be fine.”
 
FORCE LINEUP: Kara Linder, Zoe Avner (Sally Cole, 65), Mo Smunt, Nikki Marshall (Jessica Boots, 87), Carly Peetz, Cayla Deacon, Monica Dolinsky, Lisa Kosena (Sarah Campbell, 70), Jestina Orlando, Shay Powell, Lisa Franke.

SOUNDERS LINEUP: Kyle Broadbent, Kate Warner, Allison Cowan, Kellie Smith, Blair Slapper (Zakra Lechak, 51), Shannon Lovejoy, Michelle French, Chalise Baysa, Kelly Irving (Andria Folsom, 68), Erin Redwine, Lyndsey Patterson (Jaclyn White, 89).

George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an associate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

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