CARY
, N.C. –
A strike by Martin Nuñez in second-half stoppage time sealed a 1-0 win for the Carolina RailHawks over the Portland Timbers at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night. Portland was reduced to 10 men for the second consecutive match sparking the RailHawks to a win in the season finale for both clubs.
The Timbers kept the RailHawks at bay and looked destined to come away with at least a point on the road until defender Leonard Griffin was sent off with his second yellow card of the night in the 70th minute. Carolina, playing its second game in as many days, gained momentum with a one-man advantage and capitalized with heavy offensive pressure during second-half stoppage time.
Griffin’s ejection late in the match forced the Timbers to play a man down for its second straight game. Defender Cameron Dunn was issued a straight red card in the Timbers home finale on Sept. 11 at PGE Park. As a result, Dunn was not available for the Timbers on Saturday with a one-game, league-imposed suspension.
Goalkeeper Chase Harrison recorded three saves, and midfielder Chris Brown and defender Cameron Knowles each had a shot to lead the Timbers. Portland (7-13-10, 31pts) ended its 2008 season with its fourth straight loss.
Nuñez scored his second goal of the season against the Timbers to lead the RailHawks (9-11-10, 37pts) to their second consecutive win. However Carolina’s chances at back-to-back playoff berths was cut short with the Minnesota Thunder’s victory over the Montreal Impact on Saturday. Minnesota claimed the seventh and final playoff spot.
Timbers defenders Scot Thompson and Knowles each reached modern franchise milestones against the RailHawks. Thompson became the fourth Timbers players to eclipse 10,000 minutes played and Knowles set a new record for minutes played in a single season with 2,610 minutes – breaking the previous mark set in 2002.
Portland opened the match with strong defensive play limiting the RailHawks to just two shots in the first half. Portland also had the better of the scoring chances in the opening half, putting their two shots on target and appeared to have taken the lead early on.
In the 23rd minute, Brown played a 35 yard free kick into the area for midfielder Miguel Guante on the edge of the six yard box. With the ball landing at his feet, Guante’s shot under pressure hit the left post and bounced back into play allowing Knowles to fire a shot into the back of the net. But Guante was ruled offside and the foul erased Portland’s opportunity to take the lead.
Portland escaped a scoring chance by Carolina early in the second half. Griffin was called for a foul inside the box with a hard challenge on Carolina’s Santiago Fusiller. Referee Saeed Mohamed pointed to the spot which set up a penalty kick attempt for Kupono Low in the 53rd minute. Low’s shot at an open net as Harrison dove in the opposite direction rattled off the right post and the Timbers were able to clear rebound away from danger.
The RailHawks’ offense gained life late in the second half when they earned a one-man advantage following the ejection of Griffin. Carolina pressured the Timbers defense for final 20 minutes of the match generating a majority of their eight second-half shots in that time and forced Harrison into a handful of acrobatic saves to keep the home side off the board. But the RailHawks’ pressure placed on the Timbers finally broke through deep into stoppage time.
Carolina second-half sub Mauricio Segovia sent a high, arcing ball over the top which landed behind the Timbers backline and sprung three RailHawks players on a run towards the box. Harrison, all alone, challenged the attack outside his box, but the ball snuck through and Nuñez was able to collect the ball and bury the game-winner.
Notes:
Defender Justin Thompson did not see action in Portland’s season finale due to a concussion suffered in training earlier in the week … Portland was also without forward Takayuki Suzuki Saturday due to league-imposed disciplinary action … Brown ended the season as the team’s leading scorer with eight goals and two assists.
Lineups:
POR: GK Harrison, D Griffin, D Knowles, D S. Thompson, D Higgins, M Little (Lara, 62), M Guante (Oka, 45), M Poltl, M Brown, F Walker (Alvarez, 45), F Bagley (Olum, 62)
CAR: GK McClellan, D Stokes, D Gutierrez (Curfman, 77), D Norkus, D Sanfilippo, M Low (Segovia, 89), M Fusiller (Lilly, 89), M Nuñez, Watson, F Diallo (Martinez, 65), F Antoniuk (Solle, 89)
Scoring Summary:
CAR: Nuñez, 90
