Seattle Sounders Women have been in the WPSL for three seasons, and in each of those three seasons it won the Northwest Conference.

It wasn’t until 2018, however, that it broke through and won the West Regional, advancing to the championship weekend.

What’s been the difference?

One thing jumps out: Seattle has doubled its goals-per-match from a year ago. Through two matches in 2018, Sounders Women had already equaled its goalscoring output from the entire 2017 regular season. Part of that is down to running into a couple of overmatched opponents, but Seattle kept up its four goals-per-match average during the West Regional, hanging four apiece on LA Villa FC and FC Tucson Women.

Seattle’s attack is lethal, and first-year coach Scott Ford says it's not reliant upon any one player.

“Last week alone, I think we had four or five different goal scorers,” Ford estimates.

They had six, actually.

More impressive still, Seattle’s attack has thrived despite two of its biggest goal threats being recalled to campus by their college teams. One of the players who has seized the opportunity of the increased role is midfielder Olivia Van Der Jagt, who scored the winning goal in the West Regional final against Tucson.

“She’s taken advantage of some midfield spots opening up and has contributed lots of goals and assists, especially last weekend in playoffs,” Ford said. “She scored two and had a hand in a few others.”

Another star in Sounders Women’s attack is Celia Delgado, who was an All-SEC player at the University of Alabama and a member of Spanish National Team’s squad at the 2015 World Cup. Delgado and Florida State freshman defender Kirsten Pavlisko are one of a few major contributors on this Seattle team who’ve come from far-flung corners of the United States to be on this team.

Somewhat paradoxically, that diversity has been key to developing a sense of togetherness.

“When you bring in a lot of players from one specific school sometimes they can continue to form those cliques because they’re with people they know from college,” Ford explains. “By not recruiting so many players from one specific school, they have to spend some time getting to know other players. That builds team chemistry and relationships.”

That chemistry is evident out on the playing field, where Ford gives his players full creative license in the final third.

“One of the things myself and my coaching staff talked about before the season commenced is that we didn’t want to tactically drill these players,” Ford said. “We only have them for a short period of time. We wanted to make sure the environment was a fun one — that on the field they felt like they had the freedom to express themselves, to be creative, to be dynamic, to improvise.”

Don’t look for that approach to change on Saturday against defending WPSL champions Fire & Ice SC. Even knowing that a win would mean a fresh challenge would await them on Sunday in the final, Seattle is taking it one game at a time.

“I appreciate the weather is going to be hot,” Ford said. “I appreciate that we could have another game on Sunday. If you are successful in that game, then that’s when you rely on your backroom staff and your trainers to advise in the best way to aid the ladies in their recovery.

“And we have to trust the players as well. They’re all seasoned players. They know how to take care of their bodies now.”

Of course, for WPSL sides, playing two matches in a little over 24 hours is nothing new. The bigger question is whether Seattle’s attack can produce another eight-goal weekend. If it can, Sounders Women might just find itself hoisting the Jerry Zanelli Cup.