PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing the final game of a two-match home stand, T2 were unable to overcome two second-half goals, falling 2-0 to Reno 1868 FC at Providence Park on Saturday night.
Reno 1868 FC (6-4-3, 21pts) took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute following midfielder Seth Casiple’s curling effort from inside the box found the back of the net.
T2 (1-13-1, 4pts) started the second half on the front foot when midfielder Omar Mohamed played a long ball at the top of the box that found forward Jeremy Ebobisse, and his left-footed shot was struck wide of the near post in the 47th minute. Five minutes later, defender Kyle Bjornethun found space on the left wing and delivered a precise cross that picked out Ebobisse, whose strong header just missed over the crossbar in the 52nd minute. Continuing to threaten the Reno defense, Bjornethun played a ball to midfielder Villyan Bijev in a pocket of space near the left edge of the penalty area. Bijev took a touch and his curling effort forced Reno goalkeeper Matt Bersano into a save in the 75th minute.
Reno doubled its lead in when second-half substitute Luis Fernandes tapped in from inside the six-yard box to give his side a 2-0 advantage in the 82nd minute.
Just before the full-time whistle, midfielder Tomás Granitto’s half-volleyed attempt from distance was saved by Bersano in the 90th minute.
Searching for a goal in the first half, Ebobisse’s low-angled shot from the left edge of the box flashed inches past the far post in the 27th minute. Just before halftime from a corner kick, Mohamed picked out defender Max Ornstil, and his header missed the target in the 45th minute.
T2 goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh finished the match with a season-high seven saves, while Timbers Academy product Jacob Montes made his fourth appearance of the season as a second-half substitute.
Next up, T2 will travel to play Orange County SC at Orange County Great Park on Saturday, July 1; kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (Pacific).
The July 1 match will also be available via a live, high-definition web stream at www.timbers2.com.
Postgame Quote Sheet
T2 head coach Andrew Gregor
On tonight’s result...
“We’re disappointed in the result. I thought we put in 45 minutes, although it wasn’t great. I thought we did a good job to keep it 0-0 at halftime. We were in an OK spot. There were things we could have done better. We created some good opportunities, but they didn’t go in. We defended well at times. We probably should have done a better job of taking care of the ball in the middle third. The first 45 minutes were OK, and then the second half was really disappointing. It’s mistakes causing us problems again and then us not taking advantage of opportunities. These guys are going to have to learn that. We need to learn to grind out a game. A lot of it is due to experience, a lot of it is making belief that they can do it and understanding how to do it. We’re just going to continue to work and move forward again. There are some young guys in this group, and some good players in this group, but they need to learn. We’ll turn it right back around, go again next week and work hard and prepare for the game in Orange County."
On next week’s road match against Orange County SC…
“It’s a difficult game going down there and playing Orange County. They’re not a bad group; they won tonight. They’ve got a few more older guys as well that manage the game and have been around. We’ve got to go and put together a game. We put together halves, we put together chunks of good play, but we’ve got to be able to put together 90 minutes. Right now, we’re struggling with that and they’re going to have to learn and continue to get better. The young guys are going to have to grow up pretty fast. We’ll turn around and work hard again next week. We’re in a rut at the moment, and so the only way to get out is work.”
T2 (1-13-1, 4pts) vs. Reno 1868 FC (6-4-3, 21pts)
June 24, 2017 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 0 0
Reno 1868 FC 0 2 2
Scoring Summary
REN: Casiple, 55
REN: Fernandes (Brown), 82
Misconduct Summary
None
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK McIntosh ©, D Myers (Hanson, 46), D Ornstil, D Amick, D Bjornethun, M Lowe (Montes, 63), M Granitto, M Cicerone, M Bijev, M Mohamed, F Ebobisse (Williams, 59)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Hamilton, D Batista, D Jimenez, M Bodily
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Bijev, Ebobisse, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Bijev, Granitto, 1); FOULS: 13 (Four players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 7
REN: GK Bersano, D Murrell, D Griffiths, D Ockford ©, D Richards, M LaGrassa, M Wehan, M Espinal (Fernandes, 61), M Casiple (Pridham, 83), F Hoppenot, F Kelly (Brown, 71)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Klabough, D Silva, D Janjigian, M Echeverria
TOTAL SHOTS: 23 (Kelly, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Fernandes, 3); FOULS: 11 (Kelly, 1); OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2
Referee: Michael Radchuk
Assistant Referees: Chad Stewart, Benjamin Warren
4th Official: Pawel Sojka
Attendance: 1,993
Weather: Clear, 94 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
