The postseason journey of Salmon Bay FC marches on, with the Coho taking care of business against Socal division champs Capo FC, collecting a 3-0 win en route to the first trophy in club history.
The Salmon Sisters got multiple goal contributions from Samiah Shell and Ameera Hussen. Shell provided a lovely first-half goal and assist, and Hussen finished with a brace that included a screamer to make it 3-0.
Salmon Bay will host the Central Conference Champs, Minnesota Aurora, this coming Saturday at Interbay Stadium, with a trip to the national final on the line.
The first 30 minutes of the match were an uphill battle for Salmon Bay, as Capo did an excellent job of winning duels in the midfield, earning set-pieces and putting pressure on the back line. The visitors even struck the woodwork on a shot/cross that Elena Milam had to react to in the 20th minute.
Despite only bringing 13 players to Seattle for the playoffs, a well coached and well drilled Capo team fought hard to hold a momentum advantage through a large portion of the first 45.
Salmon Bay needed a moment of inspiration to break through the Capo defense, and they found it from their all-time leading goalscorer Samiah Shell. In the 37th minute Shell cut in from the right wing onto her left foot and bent a beautiful arcing shot over Capo goalkeeper Allie Craycroft and into the far top corner to open the scoring and give Salmon Bay the catalyst they were looking for.
The Coho continued to feed Shell and she continued to wreak havoc on the Capo back line, creating the second goal of the game in the 42nd minute. Shell once again cut in from the right, this time serving it straight to Ameera Hussen at the top of the six, who calmly headed in the lead-doubler a few minutes before the stroke of halftime.
Despite a strong fight from Capo through most of the first half, who matched the Cohos’ shots and shots-on-goal tally, it was Salmon Bay who rode an electric final 10 minutes to a big 2-0 advantage going into the break.
Coming out the second half the Northwest Division champs looked calm and composed. Rachel Reitz and Maya Hindson put on a clinic in the middle of the park, winning 50-50 duels, consistently passing around the Capo press, and keeping the opposition chasing the game as Salmon Bay slowly sunk their claws deeper and deeper into the match.
A couple of half-chances for Capo would be all they could muster, not troubling Elena Milam aside from a handful of well-judged goalkeeper claims.
Salmon Bay’s ability to slow the game down, control possession and wear down their opposition led to a second half that looked inevitable, and the icing on the cake would be provided by the Ameera Hussen
In the 81st minute a second ball fell to Hussen 20 yards from goal, she struck a lightning bolt on frame, and Craycroft could only deflect it on its way in, 3-0, game over, title secured.
Match Facts:
- Samiah Shell became the first Salmon Bay player to reach 10 career goals, while also providing her 9th career assist in an all-around beautiful performance.
- Elena Milam and the Salmon Bay backline have now kept two straight playoff shutouts, going 210 minutes without conceding in the 2026 postseason.
- Ameera Hussen’s second home brace of 2026 brought her season goal tally to seven, a top-three mark on the squad for both this campaign and in the club’s two year history.
- Salmon Bay extended their unbeaten home record in 2026 to eight wins and one draw, with at least one more game to play at Interbay Stadium.
- Rachel Reitz assisted the first goal of the match, her first goal contribution of 2026 after being one of the club’s minutes-played leaders.
- Every player named in the 20 besides backup goalkeeper Blayke Warner saw game time.
Scoring Summary:
- 37’ (SBFC): Samiah Shell (5), assisted by Rachel Reitz (1)
- 41’ (SBFC): Ameera Hussen (6), Assisted by Samiah Shell (7)
- 81’ (SBFC): Ameera Hussen (7), unassisted
Starting 11:
Elena Milam, Lauren Barnes, Anna Menti, Alicia Barker, Jourdyn Curran, Ui Kaaihue, Rachel Reitz, Aliyah Dockter, Samiah Shell, Ameera Hussen, Maya Hindson
Subs Used:
Chloe Seelhoff, Morgan Manalili, Jaylee Reynolds, Caroline Studebaker, Kaya Singh, Kelis Barton, Riyah Pandher
Written by Adam Race
