San Francisco, Calif
. – Midfielder
Andrew Gregor
tallied a goal and an assist in the match’s opening 30 minutes to help the Portland Timbers defeat the California Victory 3-0 at Kezar Stadium on Saturday night. Portland’s defense continues its shutout play with its third consecutive shutout and seventh on the season.
Timbers goalkeeper
Josh Wicks
recorded his seventh shutout of the season to set a new modern franchise record for shutouts in a single season. The Timbers (7-2-3, 24pts) have not conceded a goal since the 86th minute against Montreal on June 21 – a span of 274 minutes.
Portland’s defense also provided some offensive firepower as defenders
Cameron Knowles
and
Justin Thompson
provided a goal and an assist.
The Timbers are now 3-0-0 against the 2007 expansion side Victory (2-8-5, 11pts).
Forward
Bryan Jordan
set up Gregor’s penalty kick goal in the 11th minute as he was taken down in the box. Gregor, who leads the Timbers in scoring, netted his sixth goal of the season inside the left post past Victory goalkeeper Dominik Jakubek.
In the17th minute, Jordan scored his third goal of the season giving the Timbers a 2-0 advantage. Gregor started the play with a 26-yard free kick along the right post. Thompson headed Gregor’s ball into the box to Jordan who then finished from six yards out.
Knowles capped the night’s scoring, heading in his first career goal in the 20th minute. Gregor sent a 40-yard free kick into the box that found Knowles on the near post.
Saturday’s match marked the second time this season the Timbers have scored three or more goals in a match. The last time was a 3-1 win on April 21 against the Puerto Rico Islanders in the 2007 season opener at PGE Park.
The Timbers return home to face the Victory on July 13 and July 15 at PGE Park to wrap up the season series between the two clubs. The first 1,500 fans on July 13 will receive a Timber Jim bobblehead on Timber Jim Bobblehead Night presented by Toyota; the match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Kickoff on July 15 is set for 6 p.m.
Notes: Midfielders
Tom Poltl
and
Luke Kreamalmeyer
did not make the trip to California due to injuries … The last time the Timbers scored three or more goals in a victory on the road was August 7, 2004 - a 4-1 win at Edmonton.
Lineups:
POR: GK Wicks, D Griffin, D Knowles, D S. Thompson (Ready, 89), D J. Thompson, M Higgins, M Dombrowski (Lara, 45), M Gregor, M Olum (Morrison, 82), F Jordan (Hague, 85), F Bagley (Harrington, 71)
CAL: GK Jakubec, D Aguilar, D Dunn, D Schwarze, M Aguayo, M Fitzgerald (Kim, 67), M Retiz, M Palomares (Epite, 45), M Munoz, F Hansen (Casillas, 75), F Morales (Chandler, 25)
Scoring Summary:
POR: Gregor (PK), 11
POR: Jordan (J. Thompson), 17
POR: Knowles (Gregor), 20
