PORTLAND, Ore. – In their ninth match to open the 2019 season, T2 fell 2-1 to Rio Grande Valley FC at Merlo Field on Tuesday night, snapping their four-game unbeaten run. Modou Jadama scored his third goal of the campaign, while Eryk Williamson tallied his sixth assist, which ranks tied for first in the USL Championship.
T2 in April
In five matches played during the month of April, T2 finished the month with a record of 2-1-2. T2 was 1-1-1 in three matches played at Merlo Field, while unbeaten in two road matches (1-0-1).
T2 firsts
Tomás Conechny, on loan from the Timbers, made his first appearance for T2 in 2019, logging 66 minutes of action.
Key plays
Rio Grande Valley FC took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute when Wilmer A. Cabrera received Isidro Martinez’s free-kick delivery, finishing past T2 goalkeeper Jake Leeker from just outside the six-yard box.
In the 26th minute, Conechny’s corner-kick service found Dairon Asprilla, but his leaping header missed the target. Renzo Zambrano received a throw-in before firing a shot from distance that curled wide past the target in the 35th minute.
Continuing on the attack in the 51st minute, Asprilla picked up the ball at midfield, powering past three defenders before firing a shot from a tight angle that missed the frame of goal.
After Conechny delivered a cross into the penalty area, the ball fell to Williamson on the right side of the box. Taking a touch, Williamson’s shot at the near post was saved by Rio Grande Valley FC goalkeeper Tyler Deric in the 61st minute. Eight minutes later, Williamson’s corner picked out Jadama in the center of the box, but his header missed over the crossbar in the 69th minute.
T2 leveled the match at 1-1 in the 71st minute when Williamson’s service off a free kick found Jadama at the near post for the volleyed finish from close range. Jadama’s three goals on the season are tied for the team-lead with Foster Langsdorf.
RGVFC scored the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute after Max Ornstil cleared the ball off the line, but second-half substitute Carlos Small tapped the rebound into the back of the net.
Next game
Next up, T2 travel to face the Tacoma Defiance at Cheney Stadium on Sunday, May 12. Beginning at 1:30 p.m. (Pacific), the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Postgame Quote Sheet
T2 Head Coach Cameron Knowles
General thoughts on the match…
“We showed some character to come back from a goal down to get level, but that's where we need to find that next goal. It’s difficult dropping points at home. Even though we were on short rest and whatnot, I think this was a game that we need to do better in, and once we find that first goal to equalize, we need to find that second.”
On tonight's result despite the team's recent good run of form...
“I think when you look at the context of the result, with all the other results, knowing that we've won a few games on the road, our overall point total for this stretch of the season has been quite good still. So the disappointment of dropping points at home is one thing, but when we look at it in the bigger picture, we're still overall in a good position. It's just a shame that we did drop points.”
On bouncing back for the next stretch of matches...
“Well, we have some timeto recover. We've got a few guys that are a little bit beaten up and we've got some time to prepare for the next game. So, we can put together a good plan so that when we go up [to Tacoma], we can make a real go of it and try and get these points back on the road.”
T2 (4-2-3, 15pts) vs. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (3-3-3, 12pts)
April 30, 2019 – Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 1 1
Rio Grande Valley FC 1 1 2
Scoring Summary:
RGV: Cabrera (Martinez), 9
POR: Jadama (Williamson), 71
RGV: Small, 85
Misconduct Summary
POR: Miller (caution), 19
POR: Farfan (caution), 45+1
POR: Jadama (caution), 64
POR: Smith (caution), 88
Lineups:
POR: GK Leeker, D Smith, D Jadama, D Miller (Ornstil, 43), D Farfan, M Williamson (Wharton, 82), M Zambrano ©, M Asprilla, M Conechny (Ojeda, 66), M Sierakowski, F Langsdorf
Substitutes Not Used: GK Lyon, D Hanson, F Calixtro, F Hurtado
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Asprilla, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Two players tied, 1); FOULS: 16 (Two players tied, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 2
RGV: GK Deric, D Samuels, D Garcia, D Adams ©, D Coronado, M Martinez, M Hernández, M Cabrera (Lemoine, 72), F Foster (Castellanos, 89), F Salazar (Small, 76), F Enríquez
Substitutes Not Used: GK Corti, M Dunwell, M Garza, M Mena
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Foster, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Cabrera, 2); FOULS: 5 (Enríquez, 2); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 1
Referee: Farhad Dadkho
Assistant Referees: Andrew Marihart, Ryan Jung
4th Official: Wilson Munoz
Attendance: 1,120
Weather: Clear, 68 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
