Men's/Women's Amateur

National Championship? Roger that for Levesque
October 4, 2005
Maine native Roger Levesque failed to score with his own spot kick, but was let off the hook by his MVP winning goalkeeper as the Seattle Sounders clinched the third USL First Division title in franchise history. A remarkable comeback in the penalty lottery by the Rochester Raging Rhinos just fell short as Sounders' netminder Southern New Hampshire University graduate (1995) Preston Burpo forced the Rhinos to miss four spot kicks.

Levesque, who was born in Portland, saw his third round penalty saved, which was the first of three straight misses by Seattle. However, in the seventh round, Rhinos keeper Ronnie Pascale fired wide with his attempt, leaving the way clear for retiring Sounders defender Scott Jenkins to notch the game-winning kick on his final touch of the ball.

Roger Levesque (Stanford sports information dept.)

The game had ended at 1-1 after two periods of overtime. Richmond had taken a 24th minute lead through Sacha Gorres, but Seattle equalized with seventeen minutes left through Maykel Galindo. After leveling the score, Levesque did his best to win the game on his own and created several opportunities, including a 75th minute shot sent just wide left and a 76th minute header over the bar.

In a tense finale, tempers flared and Richmond's Joey Worthen and Seattle's CJ Klaas were sent off following a scuffle.

For Levesque, Saturday's triumph was a welcome change of fortune in what has been a turbulent career for the 24 year old. A standout at Stanford, the forward was a second-team All-American as a junior and a third-teamer in his final year, when he helped his side reach the NCAA final, only to lose to Maryland.

Levesque was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes with the 23rd overall pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft, but tore his ACL early in his career in California and would register just three appearances and 43 minutes of playing time in MLS. A loan spell with the Sounders followed, where Levesque has enjoyed more success at A-League level. In 2004, the side fell in the championship final, a feat they eclipsed in dramatic fashion on Saturday.

The real hero of Saturday's game was Burpo, who saved one kick and saw three miss the target. His form on the night capped off a great year, in which he started all but one regular season game for the Sounders and ranked second among the league leaders in both shutouts (12) and goals against average (0.85). A second-team all-league selection, he also led the league in saves per game (4.6) during the regular-season.