RICHMOND, Va.
– Dan Antoniuk finished off a cross from Scott Benedetti for a Portland Timbers lead, but the Richmond Kickers answered back with a goal from Jeff Hare to force a 1-1 draw Saturday night at University of Richmond Stadium.
The Timbers return to PGE Park Thursday, Sept. 8, to host the Atlanta Silverbacks at 7 p.m. with playoffs on the line.
The draw moved the Timbers (8-9-9, 33pts) out of a tie for sixth with Charleston and into the final playoff spot with two matches to play.
Antoniuk put the cap on a flurry of chances inside the Richmond box with a heading finish on a cross from Benedetti in the 59th. The goal was set up by a corner kick that the Kickers (10-8-8, 39pts) failed to clear.
Gavin Wilkinson drew a red card two minutes after Antoniuk’s goal, leaving Portland short-handed as they failed to maintain the lead.
In the 88th, Richmond struck back with a trickling shot from Hare following a lose ball the Timbers couldn’t send out of their box.
The Timbers close out the regular season with a final home match against the Kickers on Saturday, Sept. 10, also at 7 p.m.
TIMBERS NOTES:
Edwin Miranda, Tom Poltl and Paul Conway sat out Saturday’s game with suspensions.
SCORING SUMMARY:
Antoniuk, 58’ (Benedetti); Hare, 88’ (UA).
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
POR Wilkinson, RC (61’), Lines, YC (85’); RIC Cephas, YC (31’), Carrieri, YC (52’), Hare, YC (84’).
LINEUPS:
PORTLAND (8-9-9) Saunders GK, Goldthwaite D, Wilkinson D, Thompson D, Marcum (Morrison 82’) D, Alcaraz-Cuellar M, Benedetti M, Winters M, Lines M, Antoniuk F, Alvarez F; RICHMOND (10-8-9) Pascale GK, Fox D, Knight (Hare 83’) D, Williams D, Luzak D, Worthen M, Brown M, Burke M, Jeffrey (Carrieri 21’, Gorres 66’) F, Swinehart F, Cephas F.
