Keenleyside Climbs to 65, Seattle's Scoring Summit

Sixty-five. That is the number Stacey Keenleyside now owns at Seattle Sounders FC, and it is seven more than the 58 that stood before her. The previous mark belonged to Kiefer Francis, and it had held through seasons in which Seattle won plenty and scored plenty. Keenleyside's eighth goal of this campaign did the arithmetic, and the crowd at the Sounders' ground did the rest.

Her route to it was not a straight line. She arrived at Seattle in 2057/58 after spells at West Ham United, Barnsley and Barnet, where the totals were modest: 13 games and two goals in London, 11 games and five goals at Barnsley, 40 games and six at Barnet. At Seattle, the ratio changed. In 260 games she has scored 65 times, a rate of one every four games, and this season's eight have come at a quicker clip. "I've been lucky with the people around me," Keenleyside said. "The goals are the easy part when the service is right."

She is 31 now, and the record is a slow accumulation rather than a sudden burst. The 65th goal arrived in a season that is still running, and Seattle's next fixture will be another chance to add to it. The record is hers; the margin is seven. For a player who spent years as a squad number at other clubs, the numbers at Seattle have finally caught up with the role.

Francis's 58 had stood as the benchmark. Keenleyside's 65 now sits above it, and the only question is how high the next one goes. The ratio is the thing: 65 in 260 is not a fluke of one season, but the work of six. Seattle have their record, and the scorer is still playing.