TUKWILA, Wash. — Seattle Sounders FC 2 received a brace from midfielder Irvin Parra and rode the pair of tallies to a 2-0 victory over Portland Timbers 2 at Starfire Sports Complex on Friday night in the second Cascadia derby of the season between the sides.
The victory was the second triumph over T2 in just over a month for S2, which also topped Portland 2-1 in their first meeting of the season at Starfire on April 2.
S2 drew a penalty kick for the game’s opening goal in just the sixth minute after Parra was brought down in the box while trying to finish a rebound off a shot from David Olsen. Parra then slotted home the ensuing look from the spot past T2 goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh to give the hosts the early 1-0 advantage.
Parra doubled the lead seven minutes after the second-half kickoff in highlight-reel fashion after his block on T2 midfielder Alan Cruz sailed over McIntosh and into the net. It pushed S2’s lead to 2-0 and was the third goal of the season for the 23-year-old midfielder.
The hosts kept T2 off the scoresheet, despite a close call late in the match. T2’s Lucas Cini looked to have pulled one back in the 88th minute after cashing home a rebound, but the goal was waved offside to preserve the shutout.
S2 improves to 5-4-0 on the season and bags its second consecutive win following last weekend’s 3-2 road triumph over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.
The team will now hit the road for its next two matches, starting with a clash against unbeaten and Western Conference-leading San Antonio FC on May 13 before a bout with Reno 1868 FC on May 20.
