I-5 Insanity: Stars face Seattle in playoffs

Originally posted in the GOALSeattle.com forums by "seattlewolvesfc."

2008 PASL Northwest Divisional Playoffs Set
NW Semi-Final: Wolves host Tacoma Saturday March 8th, 7pm, Starfire Sports

This Saturday, March 8th, at 7:00pm, inside the Starfire Sports Complex the Seattle Wolves will face off against their divisional rival, the Tacoma Stars, in a Premier Arena Soccer League NW Semi-Final, the winner getting a bid into the Regional Finals.

The Wolves defeated the Wenatchee Fire this past Saturday to secure the PASL NW League Championship, and the #1 seed going into the Regional Playoffs.

Match Recap

The Wolves jumped out to an 8-0 lead over Wenatchee when Dayo Oyetuga, Matt Hulen, Kevin Sakuda and Zach Scott combined for 4 goals in the opening 7 minutes of Saturday's match. Wenatchee had no answer for the Wolves potent offensive attack, and physical defense.

The Fire brought the score to within 6 points midway through the 2nd period when Juan Barboza scored to make it 10-4 in favor of Seattle. But, that was as close as Wenatchee would come to tying the match.

The Wolves went on to score 7 unanswered goals, and held Wenatchee scoreless throughout the 3rd period. Jimmy Ward had 12 saves in goal for the Wolves, making his tally for the season 72, with a goal-per-game average of only 3.3, and an average of 9 saves per match. Ryan Oxford earned Man-of-the-Match honors by scoring three goals on Saturday, which tied him with Dayo Oyetuga for team lead with 9 each on the season. Oyetuga ended the night with two goals, and Wolves midfielder, Mike Morris, netted two of his own. Captain, Matt Hulen, led the Wolves squad in both assists and total offensive points this season, with 9 assists and 17 points.

The Wolves win over Wenatchee allowed them to regain 1st place, capturing the PASL NW division Regular Season crown and the #1 seed going into the PASL NW Regional Playoffs. Here is how the regular season standings ended:
1.Seattle Wolves FC, 21 pts
2.Snohomish Skyhawks, 19 pts
3.Wenatchee Fire, 17 pts
4.Tacoma Stars, 14 pts
5.PSSA Rapids, 13 pts
6.Central Oregon Steelheaders, 12 pts
7.B2B Bombers, 7 pts
8.Basin United, 0 pts

So, while the Wolves battle Tacoma in what is sure to be one of the best matches of the season on Saturday night, Snohomish will host Wenatchee in the other semi-final. The winner of both matches will meet on Sunday, March 9th at a time TBD for a chance to travel to the International Finals in Fredericksburg, VA March 14-15.

The Wolves went 1-0-1 this season in matches played against Tacoma, defeating them at home with come-back heroics, and battling from 6 points down in the 2nd half to tie the Stars in Tacoma. Tacoma is a traditional powerhouse in PASL Northwest action, and after a very physical match in Tacoma last month, this Semi-Final promises to be extremely exciting. Kick-off is at 7pm Saturday at the Starfire Sports Complex (14800 Starfire Way Tukwila, WA 98188 ). Admission is free. Donations to help support Seattle's Premier Semi-Professional Soccer Club are appreciated.