Lamar Neagle scored the lone goal as Seattle Sounders FC drew, 1-1, at Santos Laguna in the second leg of the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals. Santos Laguna advances to the Final, 2-1, on aggregate after a 1-0 first-leg win in Seattle.
The game marked an end to a landmark 2012-13 CCL campaign for Sounders FC in which they became just the third MLS club in history to advance to the tournament’s semifinals. They finished the tournament 5-2-1 with a 16-9 goal advantage.
Seattle is just the second team to earn a result at Santos Laguna in CCL play. The Los Guerreros are 19-1-1 all time at home in the tournament, with their lone loss coming on March 1, 2011 in the first leg of the 2010-11 Quarterfinals to Cruz Azul.
Carlos Quintero put Santos on the board first in the 21st minute when his 25-yard free kick hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced into the goal to give the Mexican side a two-goal aggregate advantage. It was the 16th career CCL goal for the Quintero, the most in club history.
Sounders FC found life in the 73rd minute when Neagle scored his first goal of the tournament. After beating Felipe Baloy on a ball up the right side, the Federal Way native dribbled into the box and crossed to an open Steve Zakuani. After Zakuani’s shot was blocked, Neagle knocked the rebound into the back of the net.
Needing just one goal to win, the Rave Green continued to press late. They out-shot Santos 19-11 (including 5-2 on goal) and held a 8-2 advantage on corner kicks.
In the 82nd minute, Djimi Traore’s header on an Alex Caskey ball was saved. Minutes before the final whistle, Neagle got his head on a corner kick, but it rolled just wide of the far post.
Seattle started the game off well, creating chances for Eddie Johnson and Steve Zakuani in the first ten minutes. Mario Martinez had an open-net shot in the 37th minute that was blocked and found Alonso deep in the box in the 47th, but the Cuban’s blast was saved by Sanchez.
