PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing the final game of a two-match home stand, T2 fell 1-0 to Swope Park Rangers at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon.
Swope Park (11-4-2, 35pts) scored the game-winning goal the 60th minute when second-half substitute Kharlton Belmar headed in forward Nansel Selbol’s cross past T2 goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh at his near post.
Holding an 11-9 shot advantage in the game, T2 (1-15-2, 5pts) created several scoring opportunities in the second half. Midfielder Omar Mohamed played a back-heel pass in the path of forward Russell Cicerone, and his shot from inside the box was blocked by a Swope Park defender in the 71st minute. In space on the left wing, defender Kyle Bjornethun found Harold Hanson at the top of the 18-yard box, and his long-range shot missed the target in the 80th minute.
T2 nearly equalized in the 90th minute when midfielder Villyan Bijev's half-volleyed shot from the right edge of the penalty area forced Swope Park goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas to parry the ball away for a corner kick. In stoppage time, Bjornethun whipped in a cross that Zendejas punched away and fell towards midfielder Terrell Lowe, whose volleyed shot missed the target in the 96th minute.
Portland threatened early on in the first half when midfielder Tomás Granitto whipped in a cross from a set-piece play on the right wing that picked out forward Augustine Williams, and his header went inches above the crossbar in the 13th minute. From a free-kick attempt on the right edge of the penalty area, Mohamed fired a curling shot just past the right post in the 16th minute. Five minutes later, Williams fired a shot from the top of the box that skipped wide past the far post in the 21st minute. Just before halftime, Lowe’s effort from the edge of the 18-yard box was fired wide of the target in the 45th minute.
Next up, T2 travel to face Reno 1868 FC at Greater Nevada Field on Saturday, July 22; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
The July 22 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 his thoughts on the match…
“We put a challenge in the group to put some halves together. We wanted them to come in even or ahead at half. I was reasonably pleased with that. They had a little bit more of the possession, but we created a few chances. We were even with shots. We lead them in crosses during the run of play. I thought we were in a good spot. We haven’t started second halves very well over the last couple of weeks. I thought we started the second half today well. I was pleased with that.”
On the second half…
“When you look at the moment of the goal in the 60th minute, they decided at that point to drop back in. We were pushing at that point. We had a few more chances late in the game, which we need to do better with. We had a 17-3 advantage in crosses. That was part of what we wanted to do, but it just didn’t go our way today. The effort the group gave, the discipline they had in the right moments, minus the goal… Which again comes down to those moments. That’s a very good team. They’re not a young group. It’s a team that’s experienced. They went to the finals last year, and they’ve got some very good players. They showed that today.”
On heading into next week’s road match against Reno 1868 FC…
“We’re going to head into a match against an older group that’s a little bit more independent. They’re a hard-working group that’s very direct. We have to go play in the conditions in Reno in altitude and heat. It’s going to be a challenge. If they put out this effort and commitment to what we want to do game in and game out, things are going to go our way. Even though the last few games have been disappointing, we’ve had some OK moments. We just need to continue to put it together for a full 90 minutes.”
T2 (1-15-2, 5pts) vs. Swope Park Rangers (11-4-2, 35pts)
July 16, 2017 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 0 0
Swope Park 0 1 1
Scoring Summary
SPR: Belmar (Selbol), 61
Misconduct Summary
POR: Bjornethun (Caution), 35
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK McIntosh ©, D Hanson, D Ornstil, D Amick, D Bjornethun, M Lowe, M Granitto (Montes, 55), M Cicerone, M Bjiev, M Mohamed, F Williams
Substitutes Not Used: GK Hamilton, D Jimenez, M Perez, F Calixtro
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Bijev, Lowe, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Bijev, 1); FOULS: 15 (Lowe, 5); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 1
SPR: GK Zendejas, D Storm, D Didic, D Doyle, D Maher, M Musa, M Moloto (Hernandez, 85), M Duke ©, M Oliveira (Iwasa, 57), F Gonzalez (Belmar, 46), F Selbol
Substitutes Not Used: GK MacLeod, D Ballo, M Wan Kamal, F Mirosavic
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Moloto, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Belmar, Selbol, 1); FOULS: 18 (Duke, 4); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 1
Referee: Baboucarr Jallow
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Ryan Jung
4th Official: Ian Miller
Attendance:1,917
Weather: Clear, 73 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
