MONTREAL
- Bayard Elfvin recorded a shutout in his first start in goal this season as the Portland Timbers played the Montreal Impact to a 0-0 draw Sunday at the Claude Robillard Sports Complex.
Elfvin, who played for the Timbers in 2004 before joining USL First Division rival Virginia Beach for 2005, made 10 saves to get his third career shutout as a Timber.
With the draw, Portland (5-4-5, 20pts) moved into a tie for first place in the league and extended its unbeaten run to eight games. The streak is the longest since the Timbers went unbeaten in 11 games from July 28 - September 1, 2004, on their way to the USL First Division regular season championship.
Former Timber Dan Antoniuk had a chance for the Impact (5-1-3, 18pts) in the 12th minute when he got the ball and beat the final Timbers defender. Antoniuk launched a shot from 15 yards out, but the ball was blasted right into the arms of Elfvin.
Portland had a chance to get all three points when Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar lined up to take a free kick 20 yards from goal in the 52nd minute. Alcaraz-Cuellar perfectly curled the ball over the wall, but his shot sailed just over the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
The Timbers have not lost since dropping a 1-0 result to Rochester at PGE Park on May 19.
After an 11-day break from action, the Timbers travel north to visit the Vancouver Whitecaps on June 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
HEAD COACH CHRIS AGNELLO ON THE MATCH:
“The guys are very happy with the result, and they played extremely well. I couldn’t be happier with the team right now; it was a total team effort today and they got a very well-deserved point. This game was also a great time for Bayard (Elfvin) to step in and show his skills in goal. He’s become an excellent shot-stopper from his time playing indoor soccer, and that’s exactly what we needed today.”
“It’s great to get a result and extend the unbeaten streak, but the team is probably too tired from this road trip to do much celebrating right now. Thankfully, though, we have some time to recover before heading back up to Vancouver. We feel that we played very well last time we were up there, and we were very unlucky not to get at least a draw. So I think we’ll go up there as a very confident team, and a rested team, and that will put us in a great position to keep the streak alive.”
NOTES:
Forward Drew McAthy’s X-rays came back negative, but he required stitches after being kicked in the face during the Rochester match Saturday night … Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar started at forward for the first time this season … Elfvin’s start was his first in goal with the Timbers since August 27, 2004 at PGE Park.
SCORING SUMMARY:
None.
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
POR: Alcaraz-Cuellar YC (31’), MON: Roberto YC (62’).
LINEUPS:
PORTLAND (5-4-5) B. Elfvin GK, J. Goodfellow D, M. Randolph D, S. Thompson D, S. Bullen, L. Morrison M, T. Poltl M, L. Kreamalmeyer M (Iniguez 73’), M. Chisoni M (O. Bullen 77’), H. Alcaraz-Cuellar F, B. Alvarez F.
MONTREAL (5-1-3) A. Weber GK, G. Gervais D, N. Pizzolitto D, A. Braz D, M. Vincello D, L. Lyssand M, Z. Roberto M, K. Wilson M, M. Biello M (Fukasawa 64’), M. Salles F, D. Antoniuk F.
