A hat trick from forward Kameron Lacey and a goal from midfielder Diogo Pacheco against Timbers 2 in a 4-0 shutout at the National Sports Center Stadium on Sunday night secured MNUFC2 its largest margin of victory to-date this season.
End-to-end play and a struggle for consistent possession ensued for the first 30 minutes of the first half. The momentum changed for the home side when Timbers2 forward Florian Monzon was shown a red card for violent conduct and ejected from the match. Portland would finish the game playing with 10 men on the field.
In the fifteen minutes after the ejection, MNUFC2 took advantage of the Portland absence with a high press, putting together multiple scoring opportunities before the whistle blew. Portland’s best chance of the first half came in the 34th minute when defender Adrian Ortellao shot from long range. His attempt hit the crossbar and bounced down, deflecting off of MNUFC2 goalkeeper Alec Smir, but the ball never went over the goal line.
Forward Kameron Lacey almost notched Minnesota’s first goal when he caught a pass at the back of his heels and turned to goal for a shot at net, just missing to the left of the woodwork. In the 43rd minute, forward Cameron Dunbar received a pass from midfielder Rory O’Driscoll inside the 18-yard box. Dunbar danced around the ball to open space in the box, launching a shot that struck the woodwork.
The Twos were able to convert their first goal in the extra minutes of the first half. Lacey drew a foul in the penalty area and was awarded the penalty kick. He stepped to the spot, burying his attempt in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The Miami forward scored again in the 53rd minute, controlling a pass that had snuck its way through the Portland backline. Lacey was able to control the ball off the bounce and take a one-touch shot from the center of the box to put MNUFC2 up 2-0 in the second half.
Midfielder Diogo Pacheco netted Minnesota’s third goal of the evening when he intercepted a pass from Timbers2 goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuk at the top of the box. Pacheco sent his shot past the goalkeeper and into the mesh, raking in his seventh goal of the season.
Lacey secured The Twos’ fourth and final goal of the match, scoring a hattrick and his sixth goal of the season. Wide open in front of the goal, Lacey redirected a headed pass from Dunbar to seal the 4-0 shutout for the home side.
With the result, MNUFC2 stand in 7th place in MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference regular-season action with a 6-5-4 record (W-L-D) and 23 points.
MNUFC2 will next host Real Monarchs at the National Sports Center Stadium on Sunday, July 9th at 7:00pm CT. The match can be viewed on MLSNEXTPro.com.
GOALS
1-0 MIN – Kameron Lacey, penalty kick (45’+3’)
2-0 MIN – Kameron Lacey, unassisted (53’)
3-0 MIN – Diogo Pacheco, unassisted (55’)
4-0 MIN – Kameron Lacey, assisted by Cameron Dunbar (74’)
DISCIPLINAIRY SUMMARY
Caution, MIN – CC Uche (29’)
Ejection, POR – Florian Monzon (30’)
Caution, POR – Alexis Moreno (35’)
Caution, MIN – Alec Smir (45’+5’)
Caution, POR – Tyler Clegg (58’)
Caution, MIN – Kameron Lacey (63’)
Caution, MIN – Cameron Dunbar (75’)
NOTABLE STATS
3 – With his hat trick, Kameron Lacey has tied the club record for most goals scored in a single game, previously set by former Twos forward Tommy Williamson at Colorado Rapids 2 on 8/6/2022.
4 – Tonight’s win ties the squad record for the largest margin of victory of four goals.
3 – Additionally, tonight’s third-consecutive shutout breaks the club record for consecutive clean sheets (overall), which was at two clean sheets from 4/17/2022 – 4/24/2022.
TEAM LEADERS (Updated through July 2)
Goals – Diogo Pacheco (7)
Assists – Diogo Pacheco (4)
Saves – Fred Emmings (31)
Wins – Fred Emmings (4)
Shutouts – Alec Smir (3)
