Felipe Mora scored on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute as the host Portland Timbers earned a 1-1 draw with the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday night.
Goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic made six saves for the Timbers (6-6-9, 27 points), who scored from the penalty spot for a league-record fifth consecutive game. They extended their unbeaten streak to six matches (3-0-3).
Brian White scored for the Whitecaps (7-9-5, 26 points), who missed a chance to move past Portland and above the playoff line in the Western Conference.
Third-string goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer, a 20-year-old Canadian in his first MLS start, made four saves for the Whitecaps. Boehmer was playing due to injuries to Thomas Hasal and Cody Cropper.
The deciding penalty was awarded after Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon ran over Mora from behind after he took a pass at the top of the 6-yard box. Mora, who came off the bench 10 minutes earlier, put the ensuing penalty high into the left side of the net, leaving Boehmer no chance to make a stop.
The Whitecaps opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. Ryan Raposo’s cross from the left wing toward the far post found White charging to the net and his powerful diving header from the top of the 6-yard box beat Ivacic.
Vancouver nearly doubled its advantage two minutes later, but Ivacic made a diving save on Cristian Dajome’s shot from the right side of the penalty area, then smothered White’s rebound attempt.
Ivacic made a diving save on a 12-yard shot from White just seconds after the intermission. White was able to get to the rebound along the end line and crossed for Ryan Gauld, who tried to flick the ball past Ivacic. The goalie was able to get an arm on the second attempt and deflect it wide.
Boehmer made a leaping save on Claudio Bravo’s 12-yard attempt in the 77th minute, deflecting the ball over the crossbar. He also made a diving stop at the left post on Cristhian Paredes’ attempt in the 24th.
–Field Level Media
