PORTLAND, Ore.
– A penalty-kick goal in the second half by midfielder
Ryan Pore
capped a celebratory night as the Portland Timbers defeated the Rochester Rhinos 1-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,418 on Saturday at PGE Park to open the 2010 regular season.
Pore’s first goal of the year came in the 85th minute, following a hand-ball call on Rochester’s Troy Roberts inside the box. The foul set up the penalty kick attempt for the Timbers, and Pore calmly delivered the winning tally inside the left post.
Goalkeeper Steve Cronin recorded seven saves for Portland to earn his first shutout of the season. Pore led the way with six shots, while forward George Josten recorded three of his own to lead the Timbers (1-0-0, 3pts).
Forward Andrew Hoxie attempted five of the nine total shots taken by Rochester (0-1-1, 1pt) during the match. The Rhinos played their second consecutive road match Saturday to start the 2010 USSF Division-2 Pro League campaign.
Once the game settled in, the Timbers earned their share of scoring chances in the first half. In the 15th minute, rookie forward Doug DeMartin took a shot from the top right corner of the box that sailed wide of the far post.
In the 37th minute, Pore, an all-league first-team selection in 2009, capped a 30-yard run up the middle of the park with a shot from the top of the box. His low drive forced Rhinos goalkeeper Scott Vallow into action, but it just missed wide of the left post.
Portland and Rochester traded momentum swings in the second half, and the Timbers pushed the game in their favor during the final 20 minutes of the match.
In the 69th minute, Pore blasted a shot off the left post from 16 yards out. His first attempt from the fringe of the penalty area was deflected, but he put his second effort on frame and nearly put the Timbers ahead.
Portland earned a corner kick in the 84th minute that led the game’s lone goal. A late build up by the Timbers set up the attempt from the corner by Brian Farber. His curling ball into the box was deflected by Roberts, who was quickly called for the hand-ball foul, and set up Pore’s shot from the spot.
Just before Pore scored on his penalty kick, he set the table for midfielder Alex Nimo in the 83rd minute. Pore’s cross from the wing found Nimo open inside the box on the far post, but Nimo’s shot from the doorstep sailed over the goal. Minutes later, Josten had a chance to finish a cross from Farber from inside the box. Josten, with a side-winding kick, put his shot from 10 yards out high of the mark.
The Timbers play host to expansion side AC St. Louis on Thursday, April 22 at PGE Park; kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets, starting at $12, are available through the PGE Park box office area Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
Notes:
Timbers assistant coach Amos Magee served as the acting head coach Saturday for the Timbers, while head coach Gavin Wilkinson finishes a week-long trip to England. As the technical director for the Timbers Major League Soccer franchise, Wilkinson is on his first MLS-focused trip to scout and network … DeMartin earned the start in his professional debut for the Timbers … Out with injury, midfielder Keith Savage had a 30-game streak of regular-season appearances come to an end on Saturday.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Kirk, D Keel, D Danso, D Joy, M Marcelin, M Claesson (Nimo, 69), M Pore, M Lopez (Farber, 65), F Obatola (Josten, 56), F DeMartin
ROC: GK Vallow, D Bellamy (Nunez, 88), D Greenfield, D Sanfilippo, D Roberts, M Roselund, M Franks (Costanzo, 83), M Montagalvan, M Heins (West, 76), F Hamilton (Spicer, 72), F Hoxie
Scoring Summary:
POR: Pore (PK), 85
Timbers Player Performance Ratings for the match against Rochester (on a scale of 1-10, as submitted by members of the Portland media):
Starters
:
GK – Steve Cronin – 8, D – Stephen Keel – 8, M – Ryan Pore – 8, D – Mamadou Danso – 7, D – Ian Joy – 7, D – Quavas Kirk – 7, M – James Marcelin – 7, M – Johan Claesson – 7, M – Rodrigo Lopez – 6, F – Doug DeMartin – 6, F – O.J. Obatola – 6
Subs
:
M – Alex Nimo – 7, M – Brian Farber – 8, F – George Josten – 7
