PORTLAND, Ore. – Despite finishing with a 17-13 advantage in shots, including a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, T2 conceded a goal in each half in a 2-0 loss against Cascadia-rival Seattle Sounders FC 2 in front of 2,932 fans Monday night at Merlo Field on the campus of the University of Portland.
T2 (5-8-2, 17pts) conceded the opening goal in first-half stoppage time as S2 (9-5-2, 29pts) midfielder Sam Garza converted from close range after forward Darwin Jones played a pass across the box to give Seattle a 1-0 lead just moments before halftime.
Midfielder Blake Bodily, a standout player for the Timbers U-16 Academy side this season, made his T2 debut on Monday against S2 and finished the match with two shots, including a left-footed attempt from the top of the box in the 59th minute that sailed just over the crossbar.
Seattle jumped ahead 2-0 in the 86th minute when midfielder Duncan McCormick played a ball behind the T2 defense to create a chance from close range for midfielder Pablo Rossi, who finished with a powerful strike to beat T2 goalkeeper Jake Gleeson.
“Certainly, we’re disappointed with the loss and how we gave away the goals, but overall I’m pretty excited about a couple of things,” said Jay Vidovich, head coach of T2. “When I look at [the developmental] side of things, there are positives for us in that some of these younger guys are stepping up and growing their game.”
T2 saw several close chances as they outshot S2 10-5 in the second half, including a header by defender Rennico Clarke from close range off midfielder Blair Gavin’s corner kick in the 83rd minute. Clarke nodded the ball on goal with power, but S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon tipped the shot over the crossbar. Late in the match, substitutes Brent Richards and Santiago Biglieri also saw attempts on goal saved by Lyon.
Following Monday’s match, T2 remain in the Rose City to take on Arizona United SC at Merlo Field in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, July 2; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific).
Tickets for Thursday’s T2 match are available online by clicking here. The match will also be available via a live, high-definition web stream at www.timbers2.com.
T2 (5-8-2, 17pts) vs. Seattle Sounders FC 2 (9-5-2, 29pts)
June 29, 2015 – Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 0 0
S2 1 1 2
Scoring Summary
SEA: Garza (Jones), 45
SEA: Rossi (McCormick), 86
Misconduct Summary
None
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Gleeson, D Thoma, D Clarke, D Delbridge, D Rose, M Payne, M Gavin ©, M Besler (Richards, 63), M Bodily (Evans, 75), M Belmar, F Fatawu (Biglieri, 80)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Luthy, M Casiple
TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Belmar, Clarke, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Fatawu, 2); FOULS: 8 (Fatawu, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 2
SEA: GK Lyon, D Frano, D Miele, D Ockford (Fairclough, 46), D Correa (Lim, 63), M Kovar, M Long, M Sanyang, M Garza (Ramos, 61), F Mansaray (Rossi, 75), F Jones (McCormick, 84)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Noll, M Tongovula
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Garza, Kovar, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Four players tied, 1); FOULS: 7 (Mansaray, 2); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 5
Referee: Josh Wilkens
Assistant Referees: Joshua Haimes, Benjamin Warren
4th Official: Andrew Brooks
Attendance: 2,932
Weather: Sunny, 89 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
Post Game Quote Sheet
T2 head coach Jay Vidovich
On overall match…
“Certainly, we’re disappointed with the loss and the way we gave away the goals, but I think as I look at it, it was a developmental team. I’m pretty excited about a couple of things. I’m excited about Blake Bodily, a 16 year old out there. I thought he gave a tremendous performance. He took a couple of knocks and got on up. He had a tremendous two looks at goal, so real excited about that – the youth and what we’re supposed to be about – so I was happy with that. I look at Rennico Clarke, an 18 year old who was a beast out there in the air, in the attack, defensively – just fantastic. I mean just happy with his performance and his growth, he’s really stepping up. I also thought [Tim] Payne – another younger guy – just covered the ground all over the place, winning the ball and distributing the ball for us. When I look at [the developmental] side of things, there are positives for us in that some of these younger guys are stepping up and growing their game.”
On if there are positives from the match…
“Well, you can’t be happy when you don’t get the result you’re looking for. When you look at one of your main attacking threats was a 16 year-old, we did alright but our attacking needs more production out of our front runners and wingers. We’re thin with injuries, honestly, and missing Rundell Winchester [national team duty] so we’re missing that. Our movement into the final third was good, but we just need better quality when we get there.”
T2 defender Rennico Clarke
On the overall match…
“It was a tough loss. I mean we work our tails off. We put in the work this week because it’s Seattle and the first team on Sunday did a great job showing us what we need to do. It was just a tough loss, but we put in our all and we just came up short.”
On how he created chances to score…
“I have instructions on trying to win those areas because of my height so I utilize it. I’ve been training hard working on those areas because it’s my specialty so it’s tough but it was just one of those days where you put in your all and you just come up short.”
On moving forward from the loss…
“[We] just have to put us behind us. You just have to look forward. We still have a long way to go. We just have to head back to training and just put in the work and see what comes up in the next game.”
