The Redhawks crushed Western Washington University (WWU) 4-0 in a spring schedule soccer friendly on Saturday. The score could have been even higher, as Seattle U dominated possession throughout the match which produced many scoring opportunities.

“I’ve been on the other side of this where we were the DII team playing against a DI squad,” said head coach Peter Fewing. “You want there to be that separation, I think we played well tonight.”

Redshirt sophomore Ian Hines-Ike put away a penalty kick early in the first half to give Seattle U a 1-0 lead. WWU never really got close after that. Redhawk keepers Shane Haworth and Patrick Clifford shared the action but neither saw much of it. WWU only managed a few shots throughout the game.

Sophomore Jeff Rose had an impressive role in the shutout against Western Washington University last Friday.

Seattle U created a lot of offense out of defense for much of the first half. The backfield fed several through balls to Jeff Rose down the right wing, who crossed many of them into the box. The Redhawks nearly got their 2nd goal in the 35th min when Hamza Haddadi connected with a Rose cross, but the shot hit off the post.

Just five minutes later Rose sent another ball across a crowded box to Justice Duerksen on the left side. Duerksen dribbled past one defender and then scored on a far post shot from the top of the box.

Already up 2-0, the Redhawks earned a flurry of corner kicks to begin the second half. On the third corner Brady Ballew trapped a deflection near the top of the box and scored.

Just a few minutes later, Seattle U took their fourth corner kick resulting in their fourth goal. Rose gathered another deflection and laid the ball off to Ballew, who put away his second goal of the night from the top of the eighteen. The Redhawks were in cruise control from that point on with the 4-0 lead.

“We wanted to keep possession a little better than we did today, but we created some chances,” said Fewing. “Getting four goals and a shutout was important.”

Friday’s victory follows a 4-1 defeat at the hands, or rather feet, of the Seattle Sounders FC reserves on April 14. However Seattle U defeated a tough Gonzaga squad one day prior in another shutout, 1-0.

The Redhawks are looking to build on a strong season that saw them win a WAC championship and reach the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“I know we had a good season last year but we’re still trying to get better,” said Fewing. “We lost four guys that really played a lot for us, so you have to get used to this new group coming in and figure out where the leadership is going to come from. That’s why the games in springtime are
so important.”

Seattle U will continue their spring schedule with a matchup against the University of Washington next Saturday, and then on to face the Sounders U23 squad on May 11.