The Portland Timbers played to a wild 3-2 Pacific Northwest rivalry victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Canada this past weekend. The match featured three different goalscorers for Portland and three separate VAR decisions that led to penalty kicks – one for Portland, two for Vancouver.
In the second half, with Portland leading 3-1, referee Silviu Petrescu ruled for a penalty kick for Vancouver. Whitecaps defender Cristian Dájome's low-fired attempt though was expertly denied by Timbers goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. It was the first time Ivacic had faced a penalty kick attempt in his MLS career and his adept save earned him MLS Save of the Week honors for Week 6.
Ivacic's PK stop narrowly bested Nashville SC's Joe Willis with 39.9% of the vote. The save was one of six Ivacic made on the night, several of them sparkling, as he helped the team to their first Cascadia Cup win of the year.
For the season, Ivacic has made seven starts with one clean sheet. His 24 saves are fourth-most in MLS.
