Aztex surrender goal in final seconds of stoppage time, lose 2-1 to Portland Timbers

July 11, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Austin Aztex News Release


AUSTIN, Texas - Austin pulled out a late-game miracle that appeared to have lifted the spirits of a team in need of some good news. Portland responded moments later and sent home the Aztex and its 3,114 fans in attendance dejected and disheartened.

Down a goal in stoppage time, Austin's Gifton Noel-Williams headed home a corner kick that appeared to salvage a point against one of the league's top teams. But with stoppage time still ticking, Portland's Johann Claesson capitalized on a lapse by the Aztex defense sending home a goal on the last kick of the game to snatch a 2-1 win for the visiting Timbers.

"We got out of jail," Austin head coach Adrian Heath said, referring to the first stoppage-time goal. "Everyone was in euphoria."

The last-minute breakdown capped off a night where Austin (3-8-6, 15 points) was the better team for the majority of the game. Portland (8-1-6, 30 points) finished the game with 17 shots, but only three that were dangerous, two resulting in goals and the other bouncing off the post.

"They're better than their representation on the table says," Portland head coach Gavin Wilkinson said. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck and they're not getting it right now. ... It's the way the game goes."

That bad luck was compounded by an Aztex error early in the match. A bad pass in the 14th minute by Mike Callahan in Portland's attacking third eventually found Keita Mandjou who promptly made Austin pay for the mental lapse with its 28th conceded goal of the season, worst in the league.

"We keep making silly mistakes," Heath said of his defense.

The second half proved better for Austin's offense. Eddie Johnson found space in the box in the 51st for a shot that just curled wide. Fancy footwork from Sullivan Silva less than a minute later got the forward through three defenders but his left-footed shot sailed wide, ending a 10-minute span of chances without a goal to show for it.

The offense received a boost when Noel-Williams, who has been out of the lineup nursing a hamstring, was subbed in the game in the 59th minute. Less than two minutes after stepping onto the field, Noel-Williams fought off a defender to control a long through ball. He passed off to Johnson whose off-balance cross found Kyle Brown for a header that just missed. Noel-Williams made several midfield plays that led to scoring opportunities for Austin, but none resulted in the equalizer.

"I thought we were the better team tonight and we don't come away with a point," Heath said.

Even with the offense finding its rhythm thanks to Noel-Williams' return, Portland was still able to keep the Aztex out of goal. Fatigue and a steady wind from the south in the second half leveled off the Austin attack until Noel-Williams' stoppage-time header, which proved to be meaningless.

"We were very naïve when we scored," Heath said.



USL First Division Stories from July 11, 2009


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