The Timbers nearly broke though in the first minute when a free kick from Andrew Gregor fell perfectly to Kiki Lara, who hit a dipping full volley shot from 20 yards out that was only kept out by a spectacular save by California keeper Eric Reed.

After a long span with very few chances for either team, California finally got their first goal against the Timbers this year, but it took a lucky deflection to do it as a shot by Federico Bianchi from the top of the box deflected off the heel of teammate Aaron Chandler, and the deflection left Timbers goalkeeper Josh Wicks flat footed and snuck inside the left post, and for the first time the Victory had taken a lead against the Timbers.

The game would get very chippy as California attempted to protect their first-ever lead against the Timbers, with the teams exchanging yellow cards, plus an apparent elbow to the face of Timbers striker Bryan Jordan which referee Hidajet Tica thought did not deserve a card, only a foul.

But shortly afterwards, after California got a yellow off a different foul, they would pay for that infraction when a free kick from Gregor from 35 yards out was headed on by Luke Kreamalmeyer, to Cameron Knowles at the far post who tapped the goal in from no more than a yard out, tying up the score at 1-1, and causing a barrage of teddy bears from the stand as it was Teddy Bear Toss night to benefit Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Neither team would seriously threaten until during first half stoppage time, a nice run down the right side by Portland’s Kreamalmeyer opened up the California defense for a low cross to get through, that barely eluded a sliding Chris Bagley, and was mis-hit by a trailing Jordan, but neither could put the shot on net, and the half would leave with the teams deadlocked at a goal a piece.

The Victory came out firing in the second half, desperately looking to regain their lead, and they very nearly did so in the first minute of the half when a free kick into the box found Josh Hansen wide open at the far post, but he couldn’t put a shot on net, and the Timbers dodged a bullet as the Victory had missed the shot on an open net. Another good look five minutes later for California from Chandler was right into the chest of Wicks from 25 yards out.

In the 54th to 67th minutes, two events would take place that would change the momentum of the match, the first in the 54th minute when Victory midfielder Ricardo Sanchez would receive a straight red when he put his cleats into the midsection of Portland’s Jordan, and the referee did not hesitate to show red. So the Victory would have to look for the game winner while down a player.

Thirteen minutes later, rookie David Hague would come in as a substitute for the Timbers, and mere seconds after coming in, he would put the Timbers in the lead when he had a ball played perfectly into his run by Gregor, and Hague cut back to his left foot as he neared the endline, then waited for the Victory keeper to set before hitting the shot into the bottom right corner of the net to put the Timbers up 1-0.

Six minutes later, the Timbers would replay some of their magic from a game in California back on June 28, when the Timbers would win in the final minute on a kick directly from Wicks that bounced to Hague, the goalkeeper getting the assist on the game-winning goal by the Timbers rookie. Wicks would get his second assist Sunday on a very similar play, this time a punt that went 60 yards and bounced right to Hague, who hit a one-timer from 18 yards out that beat Reed to put the Timbers up 3-1.

The Victory looked to be ready to pull one back in the 86th minute when a flick-on header from Hansen had Mike Munoz in alone on Wicks, but his first touch failed him as he pushed the ball well wide and never had a chance to shoot.

But Hague was not yet finished though, when in the 88th minute, he would receive a pass from midfield from Knowles, and would chip Reed from 12 yards out to get the natural hat trick to put the Timbers up 4-1. On the play, Hague appeared to push off on Victory defender Chuck Kim, but on a night when the center referee was all over the map in turning weak fouls into cards and bad fouls into non-calls, it could hardly be surprising that the goal was allowed to stand, and it would be the final scoring threat of the night, though the center referee did provide one more moment of entertainment when after Portland’s Shaun Higgins fouled Bianchi at midfield, the Victory midfielder charged into Higgins like a bull charging a matador, with only Higgins getting a yellow on the play. But the Timbers would complete a perfect five game sweep of the Victory, and their fifth straight league victory, putting the Timbers two points clear at the top of the table, with at least three games in-hand on all of the teams currently chasing them as they reach the mid-point of their USL season.

Josh Wicks would record three saves in getting the win, while Eric Reed recorded only one save on the night.