Seattle Defeats Sluggish Zodiac, 2-1
SANTA ANA — Coach Tony Cerna took his time getting into the locker room Friday night, his gait about as sluggish as some of the play he had witnessed as the Zodiac lost its third A-League soccer match of the season, falling to the Seattle Sounders, 2-1, at Santa Ana Stadium.
Cerna said criticized his team for taking more time to finish its shot attempts. And, he said, the team looked tired. It was the club’s third game in the last eight days.
“We had a tough game on Wednesday,” he said of a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver 86ers. “I told the guys the game lasts 90 minutes, not 30 or 60.”
The Zodiac (1-3) tried to play opportunistic soccer in the first 35 minutes and Seattle (3-2) built its attack with moderate success from the back. The Sounders had eight shot opportunities to two for the Zodiac, including a blast over the bar by midfielder Derek Crothers from about 30 yards.
The entrance of Zodiac midfielder Gustavo Leal at the 35-minute mark seemed to lift the Zodiac. Three minutes later Leal took a nice drop pass from forward Jose Vasquez just outside the box and sent it over the bar. And in the 39th minute Leal’s crisp centering pass into the goal box gave forward Jose Botello a clear shot, but the ball slipped to the left of the post.
The Zodiac’s best opportunity of the first half came in the 43rd minute when Seattle’s off-side trap failed to stop Vasquez, who slipped behind the Sounder defense, took a pass from midfielder Felipe Rodriguez only to have his shot bounce off the knees of hard-charging goalkeeper Dusty Hudock. With Hudock out and the ball bounding across the goal box, Botello picked up the rebound, but once again the shot slid to his left.
Vasquez, a former standout at Santa Ana High, caught the Sounders’ back line napping at the start of the second half. He took a pass down the left wing from midfielder Kevin Grimes, drew out Hudock and scored.
Seattle got even on a penalty kick about 17 minutes into the second half. Zodiac defender John Bovetas received a red card for intentionally handling the ball at the goal line and Seattle’s Geoff Aunger converted the penalty kick, tying the score, 1-1.
Seattle got the winner from Aunger at the 76 minute mark off a crossing header by Chugger Adair.
