USL Sporting Kansas City II

Swope Park Rangers Suffer 2-1 Defeat to Portland Timbers 2

Published on June 4, 2016 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sporting Kansas City II News Release


The Swope Park Rangers suffered a 2-1 defeat to Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday night at Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian, Idaho. Goals from Neco Brett and Victor Arboleda put Tmbers 2 in a commanding lead before rookie Mark Anthony Gonzalez scored his first professional goal to pull a goal back as the game finished 2-1.

The Rangers (3-5-2, 11 pts.) took the initiative early, with Kevin Oliveira having a pop from 30 yards and forcing Kendall McIntosh into a save. T2 (5-6-1, 16 pts.) came into the game after that, with Brett sending in a dangerous cross that Zac Lubin palmed away, before Villyan Bijev was played through behind the defense but blazed his finish over.

In the 25th minute, Bijev again took aim and forced Lubin to parry his effort from 25 yards away to safety. Two minutes later, Timbers 2 took the lead when Brett lined up a free kick just outside the area and blasted his attempt beyond Lubin and into the top corner to make the score 1-0.

The Rangers began controlling the play and creating the better chances in the second half, with Oliveira calling McIntosh into action in the 58th minute to tip away his stinging drive that was headed for the corner. Arboleda entered the play in the 66th minute for Timbers 2 and found space behind the SPR defense within two minutes of coming on, but couldn't direct his shot on frame.

Two minutes later, Arboleda doubled T2's lead. After being played clear by Brett, Arboleda raced away from the SPR backline and fired beyond Lubin to make the score 2-0.

With time ticking down, the Rangers found a lifeline when substitute Oumar Ballo flicked on a long ball into the path of Gonzalez, who lobbed McIntosh to cut T2's lead to 2-1. In stoppage time, Gonzalez had another chance but McIntosh smothered his effort from inside the area before Kris Tyrpak's header off Christian Duke's cross flashed wide of the post as SPR fell to their fifth defeat of the season.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 4, 2016


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