FENTON, Mo. – Playing the first of consecutive road games, T2 earned a point with a 0-0 draw against Saint Louis FC in front of 4,039 fans at Toyota Stadium on Saturday night. Goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh made two saves as T2 earned their fifth shutout of the 2018 season.
Run of form
In their last six games dating back to April 4, T2 are now 3-1-2. Portland improved to 2-2-2 on the road this season and is now undefeated in its last three away matches (1-0-2). Additionally, the team has registered four shutouts over its last six matches.
Timbers on loan
Nine Portland Timbers players appeared for T2 in the scoreless draw. Midfielder David Guzmán made his first start and appearance of the season for T2, playing 45 minutes. Defender Vytas made his second T2 start of the campaign, logging 45 minutes of action, while defender Bill Tuiloma went 90 minutes for T2.
Key plays
Early on, Guzmán, making his first appearance of the season on loan from the Timbers, fired a shot from outside the box that missed wide of the target in the 25th minute. Six minutes later, defender Modou Jadama’s header from the receiving end of midfielder Eryk Williamson’s delivery on a free kick flashed wide past the post.
T2 saw their best chance of the evening in the 39th minute, when defender Jimmy Mulligan whipped a cross into the box that picked out midfielder Victor Arboleda. Getting a touch on the ball, Arboleda’s pass fell to Foster Langsdorf, whose shot from the center of the box forced a strong save from Saint Louis FC goalkeeper Jake Fenlason at his near post.
Beginning the second half on the front foot, Portland nearly scored when Arboleda powered past his marker on the left flank, firing a right-footed shot from outside the box that Fenlason denied in the 46th minute. One minute later, Williamson’s corner kick delivery found Jadama at the left edge of the box, but his header flashed past the post.
Second-half substitute Marvin Loría found space 30 yards away from goal, striking his attempt inches past the top left corner of the frame in the 87th minute. With the final kick of the match, Loría’s shot from just outside the 18-yard box forced a diving save from Fenlason to his right in the 93rd minute.
Next Game
Next up, Portland travels to face Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC 2 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash., on Wednesday, May 12. Beginning at 5 p.m. (Pacific), the match against Sounders FC 2 will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Postgame Quote Sheet
T2 head coach Cameron Knowles
Overall thoughts after the point on the road…
“It was a very difficult game to play and they’re a very organized team. They’re tough to break down and they’re well coached. We knew it was going to be difficult to score. They were unbeaten at home, so we knew it was going to be a challenging game. Considering the work the guys put in and a few of the chances created, I think it was a really positive performance to get a clean sheet and a point on the road.”
On the team earning their fifth shutout of the season…
“I think we’ve got a really good mentality in the group. The players have a great mentality where they fight and they battle. They bend in certain moments, but they don’t break. I think a lot of different players have contributed some key plays in those moments, whether it’s tackles, clearances, some of our attacking players coming in to defend and some of the saves that Kendall [McIntosh] made. I think it’s a real collective effort from the entire group.”
On the club’s run of form heading into the next road match against Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC 2…
“We get a longer week where we get to continue to work. We get to apply ourselves in training and build towards putting in a good performance against Seattle. Hopefully, when we get back, all of the guys are healthy and we can use the full week of training to prepare adequately for the game.”
T2 (4-3-2, 14pts) vs. Saint Louis FC (3-1-4, 13pts)
May 5, 2018 – Toyota Stadium (Fenton, Mo.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 0 0
Saint Louis FC 0 0 0
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary
STL: Fink (Caution), 35
POR: Williamson (Caution), 45+1
POR: Batista (Caution), 61
POR: Mulligan (Caution), 65
STL: Hertzog (Caution), 85
POR: Williams (Caution), 89
Lineups:
POR: GK McIntosh, D Mulligan, D Tuiloma, D Jadama ©, D Vytas (Batista, 46), M Williamson, M Guzmán (Lewis, 46), M Arboleda, M Langsdorf, M Barmby (Loría, 83), F Williams
Substitutes Not Used: GK Pack, D Phillips, M Zambrano, F Jambga
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Three players tied, 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Three players tied, 1); FOULS: 17 (Williams, 4); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
STL: GK Fenlason, D Kavita, D Fink, D Reynolds, D Stanley (Culbertson 46), M Dacres, M Barden, M Hilton, M Calistri, F Dikwa (Hertzog, 78), F Greig
Substitutes Not Used: GK Stiebel, D Ledbetter, D Maher, F Volesky
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Dacres, Greig, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Dacres, Greig, 1); FOULS: 12 (Fink, 3); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 3
Referee: JJ Bilinski
Assistant Referees: Shane Kennard, Nicholas Tinoco
4th Official: Joseph Macht
Attendance: 4,039
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
