PORTLAND, OR – Whitecaps FC 2 battled hard but fell 3-1 to Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers2 on Sunday evening at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
The first half began with WFC2 putting some pressure early on. Kamron Habibullah’s right footed shot from outside the box was parried away in the 30th minute by Timbers2 goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuk.
As the match progressed, midfielder J.C. Ngando whipped a cross into the box, finding Levonte Johnson for the close range finish to open the scoring in the 40th minute of the match.
Moments later, Timbers2 would find one back in the 44th minute. Blake Pope’s quick pass connected to Michael Vang, with his right footed effort curling its way into the top right corner of the net to even things up at 1-1.
The home side were then awarded a penalty right before the half time interval. Victor Griffith converted from the spot to give his squad the 2-1 advantage.
The second half would see Portland extend their lead in the 57th minute of the match. Following a corner, Vang’s delivery found its way to Florián Monzón, as his headed effort nestled into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.
The young ‘Caps looked to find opportunities in the final stretch, with Johnson sending in a strike to the bottom right corner, but the shot ultimately ended up wide of the net in the 87th minute.
WFC2 return to Swangard Stadium as they host Cascadia rivals Tacoma Defiance next Sunday, May 21, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. PT. Tickets are complimentary for Whitecaps FC MLS season ticket members, or $10 at the gate.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Adorae Monroy
Scoring Summary
40’ – VAN – Levonte Johnson (J.C. Ngando)
44’ – POR – Michael Vang (Blake Pope)
45’+4’ – POR – Victor Griffith (penalty kick)
57’ – POR – Florián Monzón (Michael Vang)
Statistics
Possession: POR 49.9% – VAN 50.1%
Shots: POR 13 – VAN 17
Shots on Goal: POR 4 – VAN 6
Saves: POR 5 – VAN 1
Fouls: POR 11 – VAN 10
Offsides: POR 0 – VAN 1
Corners: POR 4 – VAN 6
Cautions
45’+3’ – VAN – Isaac Boehmer
73’ – VAN – Christian Greco-Taylor
82’ – POR – Victor Griffith
Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer; 57.Elage Bah (85.Sydney Wathuta 83’), 53.Simone Masi, 95.Joshué Ndakala, 84.Christian Greco-Taylor; 41.Malcolm Johnston, 52.Vasco Fry (66.Giovanni Aguilar 60’), 26.J.C. Ngando; 28.Levonte Johnson, 44.Gloire Amanda, 30.Kamron Habibullah
Substitutes not used
50.Max Anchor, 54.Mihail Gherasimencov, 56.Lucas Dasovic, 61.Matteo Campagna, 76.Joe Hanson
Timbers2
36.Ryan Bilichuk; 40.Keesean Ferdinand, 39.Tyler Clegg, 72.Julian Bravo; 28.Pablo Bonilla (80.Jaden Jones-Riley 28’), 57.Victor Griffith ©, 77.Selmir Miscic (16.Diego Gutiérrez HT), 45.Blake Pope (14.Justin Rasmussen HT); 70.Josh Penn (55.Dawson McCartney 60’), 90.Florián Monzón, 88.Michael Vang (42.Alexis Moreno 71’)
Substitutes not used
96.Carver Miller, 37.Diego Elizalde, 38.Volodymyr Kubrakov, 46.Sean McDowd
