Shadow Step It Up Spokane Finally Gets The Better Of Seattle In Fifth Try

The Seattle Sounders weren’t at full strength for their exhibition soccer match against the Spokane Shadow on Sunday.

But Shadow goalie Brian Mullen will assure you that Seattle’s reserve players still forced his team to play at a higher level.

Shadow midfielder Jeff McAllister scored from about 2 yards out at the 42-minute mark off a Brian Ching pass as Spokane defeated the A-League Sounders 1-0 before 1,702 fans at Albi Stadium.

It was the Shadow’s first win over the Sounders in five tries. Spokane plays in the USL Premier League’s Northwest Division, two levels below Seattle.

The Sounders were missing four starters with injuries and another who was called up to the MLS San Jose Clash. They only brought about half their roster.

“Obviously they weren’t the regular Sounders but they are all A-League players and they’re on the team for a reason,” said Mullen, who made two saves. “We showed we can play with them.”

The timing of the exhibition game couldn’t have been better, Mullen said.

The Shadow leave Tuesday morning for Chico, Calif., where they will open the 1999 U.S. Open Cup tournament against the D3 Chico Rooks on Wednesday. Chico is a level up from the Shadow. If Spokane wins, it will play the Sounders in the second round.

“If we do play them it will be a lot tougher battle,” coach Sean Bushey said.

The Shadow (8-1 overall, 4-1 NW Division) had a significant size disadvantage but still managed to outshoot the Sounders 7-3. They missed a few close-range shots.

Ching, who had his 14-match scoring streak snapped in Friday’s 1-0 win over the Cascade Surge, collided with Sounders goalie Bill May just before halftime and didn’t return for the second half. He took a knee to the face. Ching was taken to the hospital out of precaution but the injury wasn’t considered serious. He is expected to play Wednesday.

Bushey used mostly reserve players in the second half because it was an exhibition.

“You can make more changes,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who can play. They held their own.”

Bushey said the win will give his team a boost.

“It adds a little confidence as we step into a big game,” he said.

High school all-star games

In the girls Inland Empire East-West high school all-star game Sunday afternoon at Albi, Morgan Bennett from Mead scored at the 20-minute mark to lead the West over the East 1-0. The East and West boys tied 1-1.

The games were shortened to 30-minute halves and featured the top graduating seniors from North Idaho against the top graduating seniors from the Spokane area.

Central Valley’s Ben Zimmerman gave the West a 1-0 lead in the boys game at 33 minutes and Lake City midfielder Connor Quinn scored at 40 minutes to tie the match.

Women’s soccer

Whitworth All-American Jennifer Tissue and Ferris junior Rachel Lassman scored a pair of first-half goals as the visiting Spokane Chill upended the Seattle Hybernian Saints 2-1 in an exhibition match.

Shadow 1 Sounders 0 Wednesday: at Chico Rooks in first round of U.S. Open Cup.