The Portland Timbers drew even against the Vancouver Whitecaps Sunday, July 14 in a 1-1 score line. The draw means that the Timbers have now earned at least one point in their last six matches. Portland is now 4-2-4 at home this season.
For the Timbers, it was a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Timbers dominated the time of possession. Portland possessed the ball through 64% of the first half action. The struggle for the Timbers was that they couldn’t bury their opportunities. Despite tallying eight shots in the first half, only two of those shots were on goal. The best scoring chance came at 23:22 when Cristhian Paredes would fire a bullet of a shot towards the near post. Luckily for Vancouver, goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer was quick to react, blocking enough of the ball to force it wide of the net.
On Vancouver’s side, the Whitecaps were making the most of their opportunities. At 31:50, Vancouver would earn the first goal of the game. Ryan Raposo from distance would find a diving Brian White inside the box. White’s header would redirect the ball past Timbers goalkeeper, Aljaz Ivacic, to put Vancouver up 1-0. By halftime, the Whitecaps would have five total shots and three shots on net.
In the second half, Portland’s offense found a second gear. However, it wasn’t without a wake up call first. Just eight seconds into the second half, Ivacic had to make back-to-back stops in close quarters to keep the score at a one-goal difference. After the big saves, the Timbers began their hunt for an equalizer. A string of quality chances began at the 61st minute when Santiago Moreno would intercept a pass and feed Diego Chara the ball inside the box. Chara’s shot, however, was denied by a sliding Jake Nerwinski who earned Vancouver’s only shot block of the match. At 76:28, Boehmer would rob Claudio Bravo of a loose ball chance from just inside the top of the box.
The turning point of the game came at 80:04. A great chip pass and tee-up header lead to Felipe Mora having a chance to score. Mora, however, would get shoved from behind by Vancouver defenseman Tristan Blackmon before getting the opportunity to shoot. A penalty kick was awarded to Portland, and Mora would be the one to take the opportunity. Mora’s penalty shot was high, center, and on target to even the game back at 1-1. Mora’s penalty kick also set a record, as the Timbers have now scored on penalty kicks in five consecutive matches. Both goalies would make key saves in the final minutes of action to ensure their teams walked away with a draw and an added point to their standings.
The Timbers are back at Providence Park for their next match against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 23rd.
Northwest Sports Desk 