CHARLESTON
, S.C.
– Playing their third game in five days, a late equalizer by forward Mandjou Keita lifted the Portland Timbers to a come-from-behind 1-1 draw against the first-place Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday.
Down by a goal, Keita’s header in the 84th minute secured the draw and extended the Timbers’ unbeaten streak to 10 games in league play, matching a modern-franchise record set back in 2004.
Keita scored his third goal of the season, defender Scot Thompson logged his first assist and forward George Josten took two shots to help the Timbers (5-1-5, 20pts) snap a four-game losing streak in Charleston and take sole possession of third place in the USL First Division.
Goalkeeper Dusty Hudock recorded four saves and forward Randi Patterson tallied his second goal to lead the Battery (6-0-6, 24pts), who remain unbeaten on the season and regained their position at the top of the table with the draw.
The Timbers opened up their attack early and out-shot the Battery 7-5 through the first half. Portland forced Hudock to make three of his four saves on the night in the opening 15 minutes of the match.
Josten blasted a pair of shots on target inside the first seven minutes of the game that put Hudock to work. In the 15th minute, midfielder Takayuki Suzuki delivered the Timbers’ best scoring chance of the first half from the top left corner of the area. Suzuki sent a ball into the box that bounced its way to the back post. On a diving effort, Hudock was able to knock the ball wide with an out-stretched hand, keeping the ball from finding the back of the net.
Key defensive plays by the Timbers backline throughout the first half kept the Battery offense at bay as the match settled in. Near the half-hour mark, Keel disrupted a string of several passes by the Battery inside their offensive third and cleared a pass across the box out of danger. Four minutes later, Keel blocked a shot by Charleston forward Darren Spicer from 12 yards out. But on the ensuing corner kick, the Timbers escaped a chance by the Battery to take the lead as a shot rattled off the crossbar.
In the second half, Charleston maintained the majority of possession early on and put the Timbers on their heels. In the 53rd minute, midfielder Ian Fuller sent a deep cross into the box for Patterson, who under pressure from a Portland defender, knocked his header wide.
Minutes later, Timbers goalkeeper Steve Cronin punched out a Battery corner kick that eventually landed on the turf inside the box. Spicer unloaded on a shot from nine yards out that missed just wide.
The pressure from the Battery led to a turnover by the Timbers in their defensive half in the 64th minute. Charleston midfielder Chris Williams intercepted a pass and charged towards the box. He was able to find Patterson on a run at the near post with the advantage on his defender. Patterson then poked a shot from eight yards out inside the top right corner of the frame, scoring the first goal on the Timbers since May 24.
A series of second-half substitutions by the Timbers, including midfielder Alex Nimo and Keita, helped the Timbers gain momentum late in the match.
In the 67th minute, a cross from Nimo found Timbers defender David Hayes alone on the back side of the box. From 10 yards out, Hayes missed his chance to level the score wide of the left post.
A late push by the Timbers allowed Nimo to work around his man at the top right corner of the box and find Thompson on an overlapping run down the right touchline. Thompson then delivered a sharp cross into the center of the penalty area that connected with Keita at the top of the six-yard box. Keita out-jumped his defender and punched in the equalizer past Battery substitute goalkeeper Keith Wiggins in the 84th minute.
Portland earned three set pieces in the final minutes of regulation, but it was the Battery that mounted the last chances of the night. A flurry of activity sparked by a Charleston corner kick forced Cronin to punch the ball away and Thompson to clear a shot off the goal line to keep the draw in place and help the Timbers pick up two points from their two-game road trip.
The Timbers continue their U.S. Open Cup run on Tuesday, June 16 on the road against the Sonoma County Sol of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association in Santa Rosa, Calif. in the second round of the tournament. Kickoff from Santa Rosa High School is set for 7 p.m. The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to play Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC in the third round.
Notes:
Keita’s strike was just the fourth goal allowed by the Battery this season … Timbers midfielder Josh Cameron made his regular-season debut on Saturday. He entered the game as a sub for Suzuki in the 57th minute … Portland had a string of three consecutive shutouts in league play come to an end with Patterson’s second-half goal … The Timbers improved their record in Charleston to 1-4-1.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Hayes, D Knowles, D Keel, D Thompson, M Farber (Nimo, 65), M Claesson, M Savage, M Suzuki (Cameron, 57) , F Josten, F McLaughlin (Keita, 67)
CHA: GK Hudock (Wiggins, 81), D Akwari, D Bobo, D Sanfilippo, M Williams (Woodbine, 77), M Hemming, M Buete, M Fuller (Treschuk, 89), F Patterson (Heinemann, 83), F Spicer (Antoniuk, 68)
