PORTLAND, Ore. – Returning home after playing consecutive road games, T2 surrendered a late stoppage-time goal to fall 2-1 to LA Galaxy II at Providence Park on Sunday evening. Forward Dairon Asprilla tallied his seventh goal of the USL campaign for T2.
Timbers on loan
Nine Portland Timbers players made appearances for T2 in the match. Midfielder Tomás Conechny logged his second start of the USL season in the match, finishing the match tied for first in shots on target in 83 minutes of action. Defender Bill Tuiloma played 90 minutes in his third start of the USL campaign, while Asprilla made his seventh start of the season, scoring his seventh goal of the USL campaign.
Key plays
LA Galaxy II claimed a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute after Ethan Zubak received a cross from the right wing from Nate Schultz and sent a header from close range into the back of the net.
In the 16th minute, Schultz fired a low, hard shot toward the bottom left corner of the goal, but Kendall McIntosh dove to his right to make a fingertip save.
After Asprilla was fouled inside the box in the 20th minute, Conechny stepped up to take the penalty kick, but his attempt saved by LA Galaxy II goalkeeper Eric López.
Continuing to apply pressure, T2 leveled the score in the 32nd minute after Roy Miller propelled a ball from T2’s defensive end that ricocheted off Michael Gallagher. Asprilla picked up the pass on the left flank and made a run into the box, finishing with a right-footed shot to the far corner of LA’s goal to notch his seventh goal of the USL campaign in as many games.
T2 nearly scored four minutes later when midfielder Eryk Williamson was played in behind the LA Galaxy II defense, but his chipped effort from the edge of the box went wide off of the left side goal in the 36th minute. Moments later, Harold Hanson broke free on the right side of the field, before playing the ball across the face of the goal. Hanson found Asprilla in the middle of the box, but Asprilla’s powerful shot sailed over the crossbar in the 38th minute.
McIntosh made a another key stop in the 50th minute, after Tomas Hilliard-Arce found a loose ball on the left side of the box and tried to chip it over McIntosh, but the goalkeeper parried the ball over the cross bar with his left hand.
Pushing for a second goal, Andy Polo made a run across the left side of the field in the 51st minute and passed the ball to Foster Langsdorf, who took a right-footed shot from the right side of the box that was blocked by López. Four minutes later, López made another save, stopping a powerful shot by Asprilla from outside the box in the 55th minute.
T2 came close to grabbing the lead in the 64th minute after Williamson flicked the ball at the top of the box to Conechny, who controlled the pass with his chest before striking a left-footed volley shot that forced López to dive to his right to make the save.
Second-half substitute Ryan Sierakowski created an additional chance for T2 in the 87th minute, after he floated a cross to the near post to Langsdorf, but the striker’s point-blank shot was stopped by López.
José Hernández scored the game-winner for LA Galaxy II in stoppage time, after he picked up a rebound off an attempt that hit the crossbar and took a shot that deflected into the goal.
Next game
Next up, T2 travel to face El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park on Saturday, Aug. 3. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific), the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Postgame quote sheet
T2 head coach Cameron Knowles
General thoughts on the match...
"I think it's really disappointing. Obviously, we had enough quality on the field that we should've got something out of that game; we should have won that game. So to come away with nothing from that I think is just disappointing and frankly quite unacceptable."
On the positives taken from the match...
"I think we created a number of chances. We just failed to be clinical in those moments. In the first half alone we probably could have come in 2-1, 3-1, maybe even 4-1 up at halftime with some of the quality chances we had, but we didn't put them away and we left ourselves exposed."
On the team's next match at El Paso Locomotive FC...
"I think the positive for us is that we've been equally as good on the road as at home. So, it’s not a daunting task. The challenge for us in the next month is that we have a lot of games. And that's a great opportunity; it’s an opportunity to get points and get results, but it's going to take a lot of hard work."
T2 (7-7-7, 28pts) vs. LA Galaxy II (7-7-8, 29pts)
July 28, 2019 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 1 0 1
LA Galaxy II 1 1 2
Scoring Summary:
LA: Zubak (Shultz), 7
POR: Asprilla (Miller), 32
LA: Hernández, 90+5
Misconduct Summary
LA: Gallagher (caution), 20
POR: Williamson (caution), 35
LA: Ontiveros (caution), 76
LA: Harvey (caution), 90+1
Lineups:
POR: GK McIntosh, D Hanson, D Jadama, D Tuiloma, D Miller ©, M Williamson, M Wharton, M Polo (Ojeda, 71), M Conechny (Sierakowski, 83), M LorÃa (Langsdorf, 45), F Asprilla
Substitutes Not Used: GK Ivacic, D Ornstil, D Smith, M Anguiano
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Asprilla, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Conechny, Asprilla, 2); FOULS: 11 (Williamson, 4); OFFSIDES: 6; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 3
LA: GK Lopez, D Gallagher (Hernández, 45), D Hilliard-Arce ©, D Depuy, D Ontiveros, M Harvey, M Cuello, M Vera (Gutierrez, 62), F Shultz, F Zubak (Williams, 52), F Hernandez
Substitutes Not Used: GK Pruter, D Ferkranus, M Walker, F Molina
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Zubak, Hernández, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Hernández, 2); FOULS: 20 (Harvey, Ontiveros, 5); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 4
Referee: Alejandro Aguilera Jr.
Assistant Referees: Christian Clerc, Ryan Jung
4th Official: Miles Crumley
Attendance: 1,874
Weather: Sunny, 80 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
