Forward Kameron Lacey scored a brace on Saturday afternoon – notably his first two MNUFC2 goals – but Timbers2 capitalized on open spaces around the Twos’ defense and defeated the Minnesota side by a 4-2 score at Providence Park.
Timbers2 struck early when Dawson McCartney ran down the left side of the attacking third, sending a cross inside the box, where teammate Florian Monzon had broken past the MNUFC2 back line. Monzon then tapped-in his shot past goalkeeper Fred Emmings for the 1-0 lead. In the middle of the first half, the Portland side again found the ball in a dangerous spot, forcing Twos’ defender CC Uche to make a tackle in the box, which was ruled a foul, giving Timbers2 a penalty kick. Tega Ikoba converted the attempt, doubling the home side’s lead.
MNUFC2, though down two scores, had a multitude of close scoring chances during the first 45 minutes. The first came in the 30th minute when midfielder Molik Jesse Khan’s shot at close range bounced off the Timbers2 goalkeeper, then hit the near post before bouncing to the feet of forward Kameron Lacey. Lacey’s rebound shot atop the six-yard box then hit the crossbar, and the scoring chance fizzled out. Eight minutes later, Twos defender Juan Mosquera made a run to the left side of the Portland box and was fouled just inside, awarding Minnesota a penalty kick. Midfielder Diogo Pacheco took the attempt, but missed his shot that hit the right post and deflected away from net.
Amidst a press towards the end of the first half, MNUFC2’s Lacey rushed the Timbers2 center back, blocking a clearance. That blocked clearance led to a deflection that traveled above the Portland goalkeeper and into the net to cut the lead to 2-1 right before half time.
In the second half, Timbers2 scored their third goal on the day, again breaking past the MNUFC2 back line and scoring at close range to extend the lead in the 65th minute. 15 minutes later, the Oregon side notched their fourth goal of the afternoon off a transition play that drew Emmings off his line.
The Twos continued to fight, and in the 84th minute, Kameron Lacey scored his second goal of the day after receiving a lay-up pass from forward Loïc Mesanvi after a quick run from atop the 18-yard box. But the final push for MNUFC2 was not enough, and the match ended at 4-2 in favor of Timbers2.
With the loss, MNUFC2 stand in seventh place in MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference regular-season action with a 4-4-3 record (W-L-D) and 19 points.
MNUFC2 next returns home to host Houston Dynamo 2 at the National Sports Center Stadium on Sunday, June 11. Kick for the match against Houston Dynamo 2 is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.
GOALS
0-1 POR – Florian Monzon, assisted by Dawson McCartney (6’)
0-2 POR – Tega Ikoba, PK (20’)
1-2 MIN – Kameron Lacey, unassisted (44’)
1-3 POR – Florian Monzon, assisted by Keesean Ferdinand (65’)
1-4 POR – Victor Griffith, assisted by Josh Penn (80’)
2-4 MIN – Kameron Lacey, assisted by Loïc Mesanvi (84’)
DISCIPLINAIRY SUMMARY
Caution, MIN – Rory O’Driscoll (35’)
Caution, MIN – Molik Jesse Khan (58’)
Caution, MIN – Diogo Pacheco (90’)
Caution, POR – Ryan Bilichuk (90’+3’)
NOTABLE STATS
2 – Forward Kameron Lacey scored his first MNUFC2 and MLS NEXT Pro goal in the 44th minute of the match at Timbers2. He netted his second in the 85th minute.
3 – Three of MNUFC2’s six shots on target against Timbers2 hit the woodwork.
TEAM LEADERS (Updated through June 3)
Goals – Diogo Pacheco (6)
Assists – Diogo Pacheco (4)
Saves – Fred Emmings (29)
Wins – Fred Emmings (4)
Shutouts – Fred Emmings (1)
