SDFC dominates Seattle Sounders FC 3-0 with first-half rally

Jeppe Tverskov, Aníbal Godoy, and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano each scored their first goals, sending a surging SDFC into second place in the Western Conference

by Abigail Segoviano, Mundo Azteca Editor • April 7, 2025

Lindsey Brintwood

San Diego FC midfielder Jackson Yueill, left, chases Seattle Sounders defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade during the second half of a match at Snapdragon Stadium on April 5.

San Diego FC (4-1-2) hosted Seattle Sounders FC (1-3-3) Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, where San Diego won 3-0.

SDFC started the momentum early, scoring at the two-minute mark when captain and center-midfielder Jeppe Tverskov scored the night’s first goal. The goal came off a corner kick taken by central midfielder Luca de la Torre, who kicked the ball, passing it to left-winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano. Lozano made a left-footed pass to Tverskov, who finished with a left-footed shot from the center of the box towards the bottom right corner.

“Today, I felt like getting that early goal is crucial for us for the rest of the game because we don’t need to force anything in the second half,” Tverskov said. “Even though it’s not perfect for us, we still manage to control the game, even though we don’t control the ball as much as we want.”

After Tverskov’s goal, the momentum dialed down. Neither team converted a goal, but both had opportunities to make plays.

SDFC’s offense picked up at the 41-minute mark when right winger Anders Dreyer led a fast break and passed the ball to central midfielder Aníbal Godoy. Godoy shot the ball with his left foot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner of the net.

“I think it was a very important goal for me,” Godoy said. “First goal in this jersey, in this stadium. I think the personal aspect is important, but the most important thing is what we did as a group. It’s not easy to score three goals in the first half.”

SDFC continued their lead at the 48-minute mark when Tverskov passed the ball to right back Jasper Löffelsend, who went on a fast break and then passed the ball to Lozano, who scored the final goal for the night. The goal was on a right-footed shot to the center of the box aimed at the bottom left corner of the net.

“It’s a very beautiful sensation; it was a very happy moment for me,” Lozano said. “Thank God they gave me the opportunity to start the game. I felt very good, and thank God I was able to score a goal and help my team. I thank my teammates for the opportunities that were created.”

Fans began chanting “El Chucky Lozano” as they celebrated his goal.

“Just want to thank the fans, the fans that are here are just growing and growing in their energy,” head coach Mikey Varas said. “It’s fantastic.”

Luca de la Torre of San Diego FC, left, slides to challenge Georgi Minoungou of the Seattle Sounders during the first half of a match at Snapdragon Stadium on April 5. (Lindsey Brintwood)

It was a memorable moment for Tverskov, Godoy and Lozano, as it marked their first goals for the club.

Godoy spoke about what coach Varas told them at halftime about maintaining the lead going into the second half.

“That we continue with the same intentionality on top of Seattle,” Godoy said. “We saw that Seattle in the second half controlled the game a little bit more. But we already know that when a team is leading 3-0, the other team comes on top.”

“I think the group reacted even though we couldn’t score the fourth goal,” Godoy said. “We had the opportunity to score it, but despite everything, I think Mikey [Varas] emphasized that we had to keep the same concentration and not let what happened against LAFC happen to us [again]. I think we relaxed a little bit, and they scored those two goals, and in the end, it could have been complicated for us.”

By the end of the night, SDFC ended up with three yellow cards given to de la Torre, one for left-back Franco Negri, and one for striker Alex Mighten. Seattle Sounders only had one yellow card, awarded to central midfielder Danny Leyva. SDFC committed 22 fouls, while Seattle had 10.

SDFC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos earned a clean sheet with four saves.

The Sounders had the majority of the possession, with 56.8% to SDFC’s 43.2%. They also had more shots, attempting 14 compared to SDFC’s 10.

With this win, SDFC moved up to second place in the MLS Western Conference with 14 points, trailing by two points to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

SDFC will be away for two weeks but will return home on Saturday, April 26, to face Real Salt Lake at 4:30 p.m. in Snapdragon Stadium. The game will be available to watch on Apple TV+ through the MLS Season Pass subscription.

About the Contributors

Abigail Segoviano, ’24-25 Mundo Azteca Editor

Originally from Richmond, California, Abigail Segoviano is a second-year student, majoring in Journalism with a minor in Spanish. This is Abigail’s second year at the Daily Aztec where she got the opportunity to expand her writing skills as a journalist. As a staff writer last year she had the opportunity to mainly cover the entire season of women’s volleyball and also covered a couple of games for women’s basketball. This year her main focus is to branch out and write for different sports. Additionally to get involved in other sections such as Multimedia and Mundo Azteca. Abigail is the Vice President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (SDSU Chapter). Abigail received an award from The Daily Aztec: “Consistent Contributor.” In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching sports, listening to music, and going on adventures with friends.

Lindsey Brintwood, ’24-25 Multimedia Editor

Lindsey Brintwood is a San Diego native, born and raised. Lindsey was pivotal to Poway High School’s Broadcast Newscast, Yearbook, and Newspaper. She was an anchor for the sports sections “Sports Highlights” and “Sports Up and Coming” for the newscast, Titan T.V. She also was the online and social media editor of her school’s newspaper, The Iliad, and served as editor-in-chief of her school’s yearbook, The Odyssey, during her senior year. At San Diego State, Lindsey is pursuing a major in Journalism and a minor through the Weber Honors College in Interdisciplinary Studies. At the Daily Aztec, Lindsey has had the opportunity to anchor for the Daily Aztec Live under the News and Sports sections, write for Arts and Culture, photograph the Men’s Basketball team, and create multimedia packages. Currently, she also serves as the Multimedia Editor, supporting Multimedia contributors in creation of broadcast packages, reels, news writing, and production aspects of Multimedia. Outside of the Daily Aztec, Lindsey is a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, where she serves as the Alumnae Relations Director; she is an SDSU Ambassador, serving as an official tour guide, orientation leader, and student representative of San Diego State University, in addition, she is a Red Jacket Content Creator and on-air reporter for KUSI/FOX 5’s Prep Pigskin Report, an intern for the School of Journalism and Media Studies, the Vice President of the Society of Professional Journalists, and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and PRSSA.