PORTLAND, Ore. – Playing their second game of a three-match homestand, T2 were unable to overcome a two-goal halftime deficit, falling 2-0 to Rio Grande Valley FC Toros at Merlo Field on the campus of the University of Portland on Friday night.
RGV FC (1-1-0, 3pts) benefited from defender Bradley Bourgeois’ near-post header off a corner kick in the 18th minute and forward Dzenan Catic’s penalty-kick conversion in the 31st minute to build a 2-0 lead early in the first half.
Searching for a goal, T2 (0-3-0, 0pts) threatened twice in the final minutes of the first half. Forward Villyan Bijev delivered a powerful shot from the top of the box in the 44th minute, forcing goalkeeper Devin Perales to tip the ball over the crossbar, while in the 45th minute midfielder Seth Casiple slipped a ball through to forward Victor Arboleda running into the goal box, but his effort went just wide of the right post.
Outshooting the Toros 8-3 in the second half, T2 created several scoring opportunities. In the 64th minute, midfielder Andre Lewis released forward Kharlton Belmar from deep in the midfield. The forward’s driving run towards goal forced Perales off his line to deny Belmar at the near post. Portland nearly pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute when Lewis’ curling shot from the near edge of the box dipped just over crossbar.
Next up, T2 will remain at home to play host to Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday, April 17; kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (Pacific) at Merlo Field.
Single-game tickets for T2 home games are available at the Providence Park box office, online at www.timbers2.com, and on game day at the venue box office.
Friday’s match will also be available via a live, high-definition web stream at www.timbers2.com.
Post match quotes
T2 head coach Andrew Gregor
On the overall match…
“The goals will come from us having quality attacking. I thought at times going forward it wasn’t good enough. I think some of the little things that we need to focus on, like attention to detail, wasn’t there on both ends of the field. We still did create a couple opportunities and those moments are important.”
On T2’s second-half play…
“I thought the subs that came in did a good job. They brought energy, they impacted the game in a positive way and I thought they did well.”
On the continued growth of the team…
“I think we saw some growth from players tonight. I think if we keep going and work during the week - teaching them some of the habits, some of the little things, going back over games - I think results will come. There are some talented players out there, but it’s going to take some time.”
T2 (0-3-0, 0pts) vs. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (1-1-0, 3pts)
April 8, 2016 – Merlo Field (Portland, Ore.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
T2 0 0 0
Rio Grande Valley FC Toros 2 0 2
Scoring Summary
RGV: Bourgeois, 18
RGV: Catic (penalty kick), 31
Misconduct Summary
RGV: James (Caution), 53
POR: Belmar (Caution), 90
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Hamilton, D Richards, D Peay ©, D Gallagher, D Farfan (Meva, 86), M Besler, M Casiple (Duarte, 60), M Lewis, F Arboleda (Polk, 62), F Bijev (Belmar, 46), F Brett
Substitutes Not Used: GK McIntosh, D Manning, F Lowe
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Richards, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Two players tied, 1); FOULS: 12 (Three players tied, 2); OFFSIDES: 4; CORNER KICKS: 4 ; SAVES: 3
RGV: GK Perales, D Garcia, D Malki, D Ibeagha, D Bourgeois (Greene, 69), M Ward (Magalhaes, 78), M Bird (Casner, 32), M Warner (James, 46), F Rodriguez, F Catic, F Escalante (Garcia, 73)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Sanchez, F Flores
TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Escalante, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Catic, 3); FOULS: 12 (Escalante, Ward, 2); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 2
Referee: Chipalo Street
Assistant Referees: Bennett Savage, Chad Stewart
4th Official: Andrew Marihart
Attendance: 1,528
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
