BEAVERTON, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s surrendered an early goal and were unable to mount a comeback, falling 1-0 to Lane United FC in the opening match of their 2016 Premier Development League (PDL) at Terpenning Recreation Park on Saturday evening.
Forward Nathan Braaten tallied the lone goal of the match for Lane United (1-0-0, 3pts) after forward Stefan Tomasevic collected a lofted ball in the box and played a low cross to Braaten for the finish.
Portland goalkeeper Zach Nelson made several key saves in the match, including three one-on-one opportunities for Lane United that kept Timbers U-23s in the match.
Searching for an equalizer, the Timbers U-23s (0-1-0, 0pts) nearly took advantage of a Lane United miscue in the 85th minute. Goalkeeper Ben Willis came off his line to punch a long throw in and missed, but Portland was unable to capitalize.
Up next, the Timbers U-23s play to host United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) side La Maquina in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, May 11, at Providence Park; kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).
Portland returns to PDL action with consecutive matches at Providence Park as part of Providence Health & Fitness Day. The Timbers U-23s square off against Victoria Highlanders FC on Friday, May 20, and Lane United FC on Tuesday, May 24; kickoff for both matches is set for 11 a.m. (Pacific).
Scoring Summary
LUFC: Braaten (Tomasevic), 11
Lineup
POR: Zach Nelson, Ben White, Peter Prescott, Devonte Small, Ivan Alvarado, Drew Murphy, Jackson Jellah, Reid Baez, Geoffrey Dee, Jordan Jones, Tim Mueller
