PORTLAND, Ore.
– Forward Bright Dike (DEE-kay) scored his first goal in league play and goalkeeper Steve Cronin recorded four saves to secure the shutout as the Portland Timbers defeated FC Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-0 before 8,892 at PGE Park on Sunday evening.
Dike, who scored three goals in the Timbers’ second-round win in the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, found the back of the net for a second straight game. He recorded nine of the Timbers’ 21 shots on the night, and had two of his chances on goal hit off the goal frame.
Cronin logged his fifth shutout of the season, forward Doug DeMartin attempted four shots and forward George Josten recorded an assist to help the Timbers (5-5-4, 19pts) move past the Rowdies into fourth place in the USSF Division-2 Pro League’s USL Conference. Portland has won back-to-back league matches and four of its last five games across all competitions as it enters the third round of the U.S. Open Cup against Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer on Wednesday at PGE Park.
Defender Yendry Diaz, who took a team-high two shots, and midfielder Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe, who put a shot off the crossbar, were among the eight different players to attempt a shot for the Rowdies (5-5-3, 18pts). FC Tampa Bay ends the month with its fourth consecutive loss.
Dike unlocked the stalemate in the 73rd minute with his fourth goal in two games. As the Rowdies attempted to clear the ball from their defensive end, Josten was able to deflect the ball into the path of Dike. The rookie charged to the top of the box and sent a right-footed shot underneath FC Tampa Bay goalkeeper Daryl Sattler and inside the near post for game’s lone score.
In a hard-fought first half, the Timbers looked to put the Rowdies under pressure. Led by Dike’s six shots, the Timbers out-shot FC Tampa Bay 14-3 in the opening stanza, including two by Dike off the frame late in the half.
In the 42nd minute, Dike stole the ball from a Rowdies defender inside the top right corner of the box. He gained the advantage on his man, and fired a lot shot past Sattler, but it hit off the left post and the Rowdies were able to clear the ball from harm. Three minutes later, Dike was on the receiving end of a series of passes by Portland up the middle of the park. His shot from the left side hit off the crossbar.
Sattler was called into action on multiple occasions in the first half. Just before the half hour mark, he tipped a looping Dike shot over the bar. In the 39th minute, he punched away a Scot Thompson cross targeted for Portland midfielder Derek Gaudet on the back post at the last second.
The best chance for the Rowdies in the first half came from a free kick along the left side early in the half. Diaz was able to connect with a header, but Thompson helped the ball over the goal for a Rowdies corner kick. Diaz had another attempt midway through slip through to the back post, but midfielder Long Tan was called offside, ending the threat.
Rowdies midfielder Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe nearly broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, when his shot from just outside the box rang off the top right corner of the frame.
Dike and forward Doug DeMartin each had shots just miss the mark around the hour mark, but their hard-working efforts helped the Timbers regain momentum entering the final stretch of the match. Cronin made three of his four saves in the second half to preserve his second straight shutout in league play.
The Timbers play host to Northwest rival Sounders FC in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday; kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and gates open at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $15 in advance and are available through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at
www.ticketmaster.com
or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
Lineups:
POR: GK Cronin, D Thompson, D Smith, D Danso, D Cameron (Purdy, 85), M Nimo, M McManus, M Gaudet (Keel, 85, M Pore (Suzuki, 68), F Dike, F DeMartin (Josten, 72)
TBR: GK Sattler, D Valentino, D Valentin, D Kljestan, D Diaz, M Ustruck, M Adjeman-Pamboe, M Milien (Nyazamba, 45), M Buete (Yates, 67), M Tan (King, 67), M Yamada (Gyorio, 77)
Scoring Summary:
POR: Dike, (Josten), 73
Timbers Player Ratings (as submitted by members of the Portland media; scale of 1-10)
Starters
GK - Steve Cronin - 8, D – Josh Cameron - 7.5, D – Scot Thompson - 8, D – Ross Smith - 8, D – Mamadou Danso - 8, M – Derek Gaudet – 7.5, M - Tony McManus - 7.5, M – Alex Nimo - 8, M - Ryan Pore - 7, F – Doug DeMartin - 7, F - Bright Dike – 8.5
Subs
D – Stephen Keel – 7, F - George Josten – 7.5, D – Steve Purdy – 7, F – Takayuki Suzuki – 7.5
