Unbeaten Timbers U-23s, Kitsap meet Saturday

PORTLAND, Ore.
– In a matchup of unbeaten teams, the Portland Timbers U-23s play host to the Kitsap Pumas on Saturday at Hare Field in Hillsboro, Ore., at 7 p.m. The two sides square off in a showdown for first place in the Premier Development League’s Northwest Division.




Both the Timbers U-23s and the Pumas enter Saturday’s fixture on five-game winning streaks. For Portland, it’s the longest winning streak in team history.




Tickets, priced at $7 for adults and $5 for students, will be available for purchase at Hare Field on Saturday; gates open at 6 p.m.




The Timbers U-23s (5-0-0, 15pts) extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-0 win over the previously unbeaten Victoria Highlanders on May 30 at PGE Park. Forwards
Brent Richards
and
Ricky Abrego
each scored to aid in the victory. Against Victoria, the Timbers U-23s recorded its fourth straight shutout; the backline has logged 381 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.




The Timbers U-23s posted a 0-1-1 record against Kitsap in their inaugural season in 2009. Saturday is the first of two regular-season meetings between the clubs this season.




Kitsap also enters Saturday’s match with a record of 5-0-0 (15pts). The Pumas edged out the Timbers U-23s on a goal-differential tiebreaker to qualify for the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, claiming the Northwest Division’s bid for the second straight season. Kitsap has scored a league-leading 16 goals in its first five games of the PDL season.




Saturday’s match is the first of two home games in the month of June for the Timbers U-23s. The team faces the Yakima Reds on Saturday, June 12, at Kiggins Bowl in Vancouver, Wash., at 7 p.m. before playing its final three games of the month on the road.