PORTLAND, Oregon – A lone goal from Portland Timbers 2’s Villyan Bijev was all T2 needed to seal the win over Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Thursday evening at Providence Park.
The goal came in the 25th minute when Bijev received the ball from teammate Seth Capisle and let fly from 24 yards out. Bijev’s shot dropped into the bottom right corner over goalkeeper Charlie Lyon for the 1-0 lead.
S2 saw their share of chances on the night, generating 10 total shots and five shots on target in the match. The best chance came in the 18th minute when forward Myron Samuel beat his defender along the left flank and played in a hard, low ball across the face of net. Forward Victor Mansaray came close to a sliding finish but was unable to connect. The ball was then deflected out and fell to midfielder Mark O’Ojong who volleyed it toward the lower left corner of the frame, forcing a fingertip save from T2 keeper Kendall McIntosh.
T2 had a chance to put the game away in the 62nd minute when Lyon took down a runaway Bijev in the box and conceded the penalty. However, the score remained 1-0 as Bijev put the penalty shot wide right.
Some controversy crept into the match when midfielder Zach Mathers made a run into the box to meet a Mansaray through ball. McIntosh and Mathers collided over the pass after Mathers had appeared to get his toe to it first. However, the whole play was negated when the linesman’s flag went up, calling Mathers offside.
S2 are now winless in six and will look to rebound against the Orange County Blues FC on June 4 (7 p.m. PT, livestream on SoundersFC.com).
