TUKWILA, Wash. – David Olsen’s 90th-minute goal earned Seattle Sounders FC 2 a 3-2 victory against OKC Energy FC on Monday night after a 10-man Energy FC side had rallied from two goals down at halftime. S2 (6-6-2, 20pts) took the lead in the 14th minute when a cross by Brian Nana-Sinkam wasn’t properly cleared by OKC’s defense, and Zach Mathers controlled before firing a shot that rose into the top-left corner of the net. Seattle almost doubled its lead two minutes later as Irvin Parra hit the right post from distance, while S2 came closest to an equalizer in the 32nd minute as Andy Craven’s header from the top of the six-yard area was saved by S2 goalkeeper Tyler Miller. The game swung S2’s way in a five-minute span late in the first half as first Energy FC’s Miguel Gonzalez was sent off, and then Seattle was awarded a penalty kick that Mathers sent low into the left corner for a 2-0 lead. Energy FC (5-6-2, 17pts) almost pulled a goal back six minutes into the second half when Alex Dixon fired off the right post from 12 yards, while former S2 player Andy Craven forced a good save by Miller in the 67th minute in his return to Starfire Stadium. Olsen had the chance to put the game away for S2 with 21 minutes to go, but lifted his finish wide on a breakaway, and immediately OKC punished the hosts as Dixon scored from close range off Philip Rasmussen’s low cross. Energy FC was then awarded a penalty for a handball in the area, and with four minutes to go Craven slotted his shot home into the right corner of the net. Seattle grabbed victory at the last, however, as Lorenzo Ramos’ pass found Olsen in the left side of the penalty area, and the forward fired low into the right corner to grab all three points.

Scoring: 
14’ – SEA – Zach Mathers
39’ – SEA – Zach Mathers (penalty)
70’ – OKC – Alex Dixon (Philip Rasmussen)
86’ – OKC – Andy Craven (penalty)
90’ – SEA – David Olsen (Lorenzo Ramos)

• #SEAvOKC: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. The top two teams aside, not many teams in the USL Western Conference have been able to find the consistency to move above the battle for a place in the playoffs that now has 10 teams separated by six points surrounding the line that marks whether you’re currently in or out of the postseason berths. Seattle’s victory on Wednesday night was its second in its last three outings, and despite the added drama that was needed to earn all three points it could prove a key moment as Seattle looks for a second postseason berth in three seasons.

• 2. Seattle appeared well set at the halftime break to cruise to victory in the second half, up two goals and a man after Miguel Gonzalez’s red card for Energy FC. Instead OKC made a strong effort to get something out of its second game of a three-game trip to Cascadia, only to be denied at the last. With Gonzalez currently set to sit in Saturday’s final game of the trip to the Pacific Northwest against Vancouver, Energy FC should take hope from the manner it played a man down as its prepares to face WFC2.

• 3. After recording a crucial miss a minute before Alex Dixon got OKC’s comeback underway, Seattle Sounders FC 2 forward David Olsen had to have been hoping for a chance at redemption from the moment that Andy Craven’s penalty kick leveled the score for OKC with four minutes to go. Thanks to a fine pass by Lorenzo Ramos, and a composed finish by the 21-year-old, Olsen got his chance as his 90th-minute finish was struck purely into the right corner of the net for his third goal of the season. A regular starter for much of the season so far, Olsen is now tied for second on the team with three goals, but there might not be one more important he scores in this regular season than his winner on Monday night.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Zach Mathers, Seattle Sounders FC 2 – Mathers scored twice for S2 to lead the side to an important victory in the club’s push for a postseason berth.

Upcoming Games:
Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Orange County SC – June 24, 8 p.m. ET, Orange County Great Park
OKC Energy FC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 – June 24, 6 p.m. ET, Thunderbird Stadium