The Timbers U-23s opened their 2012 campaign on Friday night at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, and did so in convincing fashion as Mark Sherrod would score twice, and Emery Welshman would also score in a 3-0 win by the Timbers over the Fraser Valley Mariners in front of 1,257 on a beautiful evening in Portland.
It was clear even early on that the Timbers were going to have little trouble with their Canadian visitors, as the Timbers were able to go wide, and especially over the top, at will, and it only took 10 minutes for the Timbers to take the lead when Reed Matte attacked down the right side, and his low cross found Mark Sherrod open near the penalty spot, and his one-time shot beat Fraser Valley goalkeeper Mark Village, and the Timbers had a 1-0 lead.
It only took five minutes to double the lead, when Emery Welshman attacked down the left side, eluding several Mariners defenders before putting the ball on his right foot and blasting a low shot that the Mariners keeper was not able to stop completely, and it trickled into the net and the lead was 2-0.
The Timbers had plenty of chances and should have widened their lead several times but finally found the net a third time in the 40th minute when a cross from the left side by Cam Vickers found Sherrod near the near post, and he headed just inside the post for the 3-0 lead, where it would stand at halftime.
The Timbers seemed to back off their attack a bit in the second half, though they still had plenty of chances, and in the 83rd minute the Timbers were awarded a penalty kick, but Village did well to guess right and save the shot by Portland’s Steven Evans, and the Mariners goalkeeper did well on the whole in not giving the Timbers an even bigger margin of victory.
The Timbers would outshoot the Mariners 27-5 on the night while earning the comfortable 3-0 win.
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