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.
Richmond scores late equalizer, draws Timbers

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