Victoria, BC Canada - While the day-long bus ride was less than ideal, the Sounders Women were able to pull out a hard-earned victory over the Victoria Highlanders tonight at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia.  Keelin Winters headed in a Sophie Reiser corner kick in the 25th minute, and that was all it took to ensure the Sounders Women maintained their perfect start to the promising W-League season.

With several new faces in the lineup tonight, the Sounders Women saw down a determined Victoria side that kept the team on their toes throughout the match. Katie Hultin once again proved to be a formidable force in the net, as she did well to foil several attempts by the Highlanders, the most notable being a diving save off a dipping line drive just before the stroke of halftime. The match could have been a bit more comfortable had the Sounders finished off any number of quality chances they had in the first half, but having now secured 6 points from back to back days, the team was still pleased with the end result.

Sophie Reiser got things started before many of the fans even found their seats, forcing a sprawling save by Victoria goalkeeper Steph Parker in the first minute of play. As the half wore on, the spirited Highlander side did well to keep the score knotted at zeros, despite consistent pressure in their half of the field. After several quality attempts created through some dynamic passing in the Highlander end, the breakthrough finally came in the 25th minute, as Keelin Winters was able to beat her mark to the ball and land a perfectly placed header into the back of the net. And while forwards Kara Kuttler and Lyndsey Patterson created a couple good chances after that, the team would head to the locker room with a slim 1-0 lead.

Perhaps it was fatigue setting in from the long day of travel or the game against a quality Colorado Rush side the night before, but the Sounders Women were unable to sustain the same offensive display from the first half. Victoria began to apply more pressure in the Seattle end, culminating in a lobbed shot in the 83rd minute from the right side of the 18 yard box that bounced on top of the crossbar before heading out of bounds. While not the most aesthetically-pleasing brand of soccer, the Sounders Women were nevertheless able to pull out the victory.

Next up for the ladies in rave green is a 7:00pm encounter with the Colorado Rapids Women at home this Monday, June 4th at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. Good seats are still available on SoundersWomen.com.