BURNABY, B.C.
- Forward Nicholas Addlery scored two first-half goals to lead the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers on Friday at Swangard Stadium. With the win, the Whitecaps swept the season series with the Timbers.
The match between the two Northwest rivals opened with pace as each side found the back of the net in the opening 12 minutes. The hard-fought Cascadia Cup match featured several quality scoring opportunities and key defensive stops in a key match for both sides.
Addlery's brace opened and closed the first half and midfielder Lyle Martin recorded his third assist of the season to help Vancouver (12-6-6, 42pts) extend its unbeaten streak to four matches and take all three matches from the Timbers this season. The victory helps Vancouver remain two points behind the table-leading Puerto Rico Islanders.
Midfielder Lawrence Olum scored his third goal of the season and goalkeeper Chase Harrison made two saves in his regular-season debut in the loss for the Timbers (6-9-10, 28pts). Despite the loss, Portland remains in a two-way tie with the Montreal Impact in seventh place in the USL First Division. Montreal plays host to the Atlanta Silverbacks on Sunday.
Addlery opened the scoring in the third minute, giving the Whitecaps an early advantage. Martin set up the play from the right touch line finding Addlery with space about 25 yards from goal. With a slight touch, he set himself up for a strike inside the right post for a 1-0 lead.
Olum pulled the Timbers even in the 12th minute with a shot from close range. From the left side, midfielder Chris Brown sent a ball into the box that connected with forward Chris Bagley near the penalty spot. Brown's ball was flicked on by Bagley to the back post where Olum was there to punch in the equalizer back inside the left post.
But right before the break, Addlery scored his second goal of the half to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 lead. The ball was played forward for Martin near the top of the box, but a clearance attempt by a Timbers defender missed the mark which allowed the ball to roll behind Portland's backline. Addlery chased down the loose ball in the box and converted his one-on-one attempt with Harrison in the 43rd minute.
Both defenses made key stops in the first half to keep the other side at bay. Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly got a piece of the ball on a one-on-one with Portland forward Bryan Jordan to knock the ball out of play, while Timbers defenders Shaun Higgins and Cameron Dunn teamed up to block a shot inside the box. A header by Whitecaps forward Eduardo Sebrango nearly gave the home side the lead but sailed just over the crossbar.
The game's competitive nature continued in the second half, but neither could find the back of the net. In the 65th minute, Timbers midfielder Bryan Little sent a cross into the box from along the endline to Jordan in the box. Jordan collected the ball, turned, and fired a shot that appeared to be on its way in, but Nolly was able to get a hand on the ball to just knock it over the crossbar.
Substitute Vicente Arze had the best scoring opportunity for the Whitecaps in the second half. He curled a shot at the back post from inside the box that rattled off the frame.
The Timbers have a 12-day break until their next league match on Sept. 4 against the Miami FC Blues at PGE Park. Tickets, starting at $11, are available at the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (503) 224-4400.
Notes:
Portland defender Scot Thompson (family reasons) and forward Takayuki Suzuki (injury) did not make the trip to Vancouver ... Goalkeeper Brad Knighton was recalled by Major League Soccer's New England Revolution on Friday. He has been on loan with the Timbers since July 2 ... Harrison is the fourth different goalkeeper used by the Timbers in a league fixture this season ... Portland is now 1-13-2 in Vancouver since 2001.
Lineups:
POR: GK Harrison, D Guante, D Knowles, D Dunn, D Higgins, M Olum (Walker, 84), M Brown, M Poltl, M Griffin (Little, 58), F Jordan, F Bagley (Alvarez, 68)
VAN: GK Nolly, D Bellisomo (Arze, 70), D Charles, D Jarun, D Hirano, M Martin, M Trafford (Gage, 67), M Nash, M Valente (Kindel, 59), F Sebrango (Jordan, 78), F Addlery (Edwini-Bonsu, 78)
Scoring Summary:
VAN: Addlery (Martin), 3
POR: Olum (Bagley), 12
VAN: Addlery, 43
