Edmonds-Based Soccer Team Wins 1st Game of Season

It was a victorious start for the Edmonds-based North Sound SeaWolves FC on Sunday.

The team got second-half goals from Brady Ballew and Abdul Aman to rally and defeat the Fraser Valley Mariners 2-1 in the club’s 2012 Premier Development League match opener Sunday at Bateman Park in Abbotsford, BC.

The match was the first of 16 the SeaWolves (1-0) will play this season.

“It was our first game together and we knew it would take some time to adjust,” SeaWolves coach Alex Silva said. “In the end we’re happy to come out with a win.”

Fraser Valley (0-3-1) took the lead in the 26th minute when Adrian Kekec beat SeaWolves’ keeper Claudio Lazar for a 1-0 advantage. North Sound forward Quinton Beasley nearly tied the match in the 35th minute. The SeaWolves continued to pressure but were unable to equalize.

Midfielder Andrew Hill, who came on in the 65th minute, made a big impact. Five minutes after entering the match, Hill ran into the box on a free kick and was taken down, leading to a penalty kick that was converted by Ballew to tie the score at 1.

Then with five minutes left in regulation, Hill delivered a pass to Aman, who beat one defender and scored between the legs of Fraser Valley keeper Mark Andrew Village for the game winner.

“Andrew came out with a lot of energy and changed the game,” Silva said. “We addressed some issues at halftime, made some changes and our second-half subs made a great impact. Now we’re looking ahead to our game Wednesday.”

The SeaWolves next play the Washington Crossfire (0-0-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Redmond High School.”

The club plays eight straight home games, starting June 1 against the Crossfire, Edmonds Stadium on the campus of .