CALGARY –The Portland Timbers U-23s battled back from a first-half deficit and midfielder Todd Wharton netted the game-tying goal in the 71st minute to earn a point on the road in a 1-1 draw against Calgary Foothills FC at Hellard Field in Calgary on Tuesday night.
The Timbers U-23s (2-1-1, 7pts) conceded a goal late in the first-half to Calgary Foothills FC (1-1-2, 5pts) as midfielder Elijah Adekube scored off a deflected ball from defender Jean-Pierre Rodrigues-Lemos at the top of the box following a scramble on a free kick in the 35th minute.
Portland tallied the equalizer in the second half as Wharton found the back of the net off a free kick. Wharton curled a shot around Calgary’s defensive wall, finding the left corner of the net in the 71st minute to level the score. The midfielder finished with five shots in the match.
The Timbers U-23s had several chances late in the second half to tally the game winner, forcing Calgary goalkeeper Sean Melvin to make a number of close saves. In the 78th minute, Wharton found a second free kick opportunity, but it was thwarted by Melvin. Portland nearly found the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute as substitute defender Peter Prescott saw a close-range opportunity flash just over the crossbar.
The Timbers U-23s finished with a 17-12 advantage in total shots and earned an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks. Partee came up with several key saves for Portland, making six saves in the match, including two vital stops late in the second half.
Portland returns home to take on Calgary Foothills FC for a second straight match on Sunday, June 7, at Tigard High School in Tigard, Ore.; kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (Pacific).
Scoring Summary:
CAL: Adekube (Rodrigues-Lemos), 35
POR: Wharton, 71
Misconduct Summary:
CAL: Megna (Caution), 28
POR: White (Caution), 33
CAL: Northover (Caution), 44
Lineups:
POR: Collin Partee, Adrien Perez (Prescott, 82), Ben White, Dakota Barnathan, Dewey Lewis, Geoffrey Dee, Greg Timmer (Lubahn, 60), Kyle Adams, Romilio Hernandez, Sheldon Sullivan, Todd Wharton ©
Subs Not Used: Trevor Wilson, Brendan Shaw
CAL: Sean Melvin, Dean Northover, Brad Kamden, Jonathan Whelldon ©, Jean-Pierre Rodrigues-Lemos, Massimo Megna (Romeo, 75), Elijah Adekube (Hickson, 88), Natnael Tecle, Yoann Promonet (Odosa, 75), Darius Ramsey (Bauche, 61), Dominic Russo
Subs Not Used: Hunter Brett, Dominic Zator, Turin Hutchings
Referee: Michael Stacey
Assistant Referees: Sunny Marshall, Sebastian Richters
4th Official: Richard Sansregret
