It would be a match with relatively few scoring chances, especially in the first half, and the first good chance for either team would be in the sixth minute when a Timbers corner kick by Roberto Farfan was met well by the head of Freddie Braun, but his shot was just over the bar from 8 yards out. The home side had their first good look in the 14th minute when John Fishbaugher had an open look from 30 yards out that took a slight deflection over the crossbar. On the ensuing corner kick, Tye Perdido had a good chance to turn on the ball at the near post, but was cleared by the Timbers defense.

Three minutes later, it was Farfan with the good look from the top of the Pumas box, but his shot was saved easily by Kitsap goalkeeper Dustyn Brim.

Though the Timbers had a slight advantage in possession in the early going, it was a unexpected bobble in the 24th minute that would give the Timbers the early lead when a shot by Brian Ramsey from just inside the 18 yard box, to the keeper’s left, was low and seemingly easily smothered by Brim, but the ball slipped through Brim’s legs and trickled into the goal for an early 1-0 Timbers lead. It would be the second piece of good fortune for Ramsey in two days, as his goal the day before against Hollywood United had deflected in off the back off a defender.

In the 29th minute, Kitsap had a good look by Eli Gordley wasted as his shot from 25 yards out was well wide right. Six minutes later, it would be Portland’s Brock Granger with a good look, but his shot from 20 yards out towards the bottom left corner was smothered by Brim. Three minutes later, Brent Richards would have another good chance for the Timbers from nearly the same spot as he made a nice run down the left side then cut back across the top of the box, but his blast was just wide left into the side netting.

Then in the 42nd minute, the home Pumas would get the chance they needed when Jamel Wallace made a nice run down the right side, finding Mark Lee open in the Timbers box, who cut across in front of Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson and one-timed the ball into the net from six yards out to level the score at 1-1, which would be the score at the break.

The Timbers would come out in the second half seemingly determined to re-take the lead quickly, and came within inches (or closer) of taking the lead in the 51st minute when header from only five yards out by Ryan Kawulok off a corner kick was cleared off the line by a header by Pumas defender Dan Scott. In the 60th minute, the Pumas would have one of their most dangerous scoring chances of the second half when a ball into the box by Taylor Hyde was just missed by a lunging Stephen Phillips and smothered by Gleeson.

In the 70th minute, the Timbers seemed almost certain to re-take the lead when Ricky Abrego broke through the middle of the Pumas defense and had an open look from 10 yards out, but Brim blocked the shot and though the rebound came free, the attempted rebound shot by Richards was blocked by a prone Pumas defender and the threat was ended.

The Timbers now had the Pumas back on their heels as they were enduring attack after attack from the Timbers offense, and in the 81st minute, a 30 yard long ball by Ben Ogunyemi into the run of Abrego had the Timbers forward making a dangerous run into the Pumas box, with his shot from 15 yards being blocked by Brim, and the rebound being cleared over the endline before a charging Abrego could knock in the rebound.

But on the ensuing corner kick, the Timbers would finally make their sustained possession pay off when an in-swinging corner kick by Farfan forced a save by Brim as it was going to slip just under the crossbar to his left, but he was not able to maintain control and the ball came free, and Abrego was on the spot to head the ball towards the net from only a yard out, and though the ball appeared to hit a Pumas defender or two on it’s way in, it found it’s way to the back of the net, and the Timbers had re-taken the lead at 2-1.

The Timbers would do a good job of keeping possession and limiting the Pumas chances through three minutes of stoppage time, with their best chance being a blast from 30 yards out just before the final whistle that missed right by a good 10 yards, and seconds later, the final whistle blew, and the Timbers U-23s had taken their 18th win in as many chances on the season, and earned the right to host the PDL Championship Semifinals the following weekend.

Jake Gleeson was not credited with any saves on the night, while Dustyn Brim had six saves for the Pumas.