Greg Howes scored twice in a three-minute span of the second half to break open a 1-1 deadlock, and lead the Timbers to a second straight victory in a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in front of a crowd of 4,914 at PGE Park. Fadi Afash had the first Timbers goal, and the lone goal for the Whitecaps was a 30 yard blast by Steve Kindel just 14 seconds into the second half.

Early in the match, the Timbers were having the run of play, having good success in pushing down the wings, with Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar finding good luck making runs down the right side, and Jake Sagare doing the same down the left. Four minutes in, a chip from Brian Winters into the box had Portland's Fadi Afash attempting a bicycle kick, but he didn't have enough on the ball and Vancouver's Alex Marques saved easily.

In the 7th minute, the Whitecaps would have their best scoring chance of the first half when Alfredo Valente made a great run down the left side and into the box, and took a hard shot from 10 yards out that went right into Matt Napoleon's chest, who had good position and controlled the ball. Just two minutes later, Portland had their first good chance when an attempted cross from Alcaraz-Cuellar trickled to Greg Howes' foot, who shot from only five yards out, but Marques barely got his hand on the ball, deflecting it just wide.

But in the 10th minute, a similar pass from Alcaraz-Cuellar found Afash in the box, and he easily tapped the ball around a charging Marques, and then tapped into an open net to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead.

Fadi Afash and Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar celebrate the first goal

Neither team made a serious threat again until the 33rd minute, when Vancouver's Jason Jordan's shot from 20 yards out required a tip save over the bar from Napoleon. Vancouver began to take over the momentum of the match at this time, but while they could hold possession, they were unable to take advantage of crosses into the box, and Portland was clearing easily. And while the Whitecaps had been getting the better of play the last 10 minutes, neither team threatened again and the half ended with the Timbers up 1-0.

The Whitecaps blasted out of the gate in the 2nd half, when just after the 2nd half kickoff, Steve Kindel managed to dribble straight down the middle of a stunned Timbers defense right off the kickoff, and hit blast from 30 yards out that curved from just outside the bar to just inside the bar, where Napoleon was only able to get a fingertip on the ball, but could not keep it out of the net, and just 14 seconds into the second half, the Whitecaps had tied the score 1-1.

For the first ten minutes of the second half, it was the Whitecaps who had the momentum, and were getting good control from defense to midfield, and got several crosses into the box, but were having trouble getting any type of threat on goal. But the Timbers withstood the Whitecaps momentum long enough to start making some pushes of their own. In the 57th minute, after Brent Sancho had been taken down 35 yards out to draw a free kick, the ball was played to Keith Costigan, who made a nice diagonal cross all the way to the far post, when Howes rose well and headed the ball up and over Marques head and into the net to give the Timbers a 2-1 lead.

Alcaraz-Cuellar chased by Steve Kindel

But the Whitecaps once again pushed forward and had a loose ball in the Timbers box, but Gavin Wilkinson was able to clear the ball before the ball could be sent towards net. In the 60th minute though, the Timbers were once again on the attack. Sagare made a run down the left side, then cut it inside and played a low diagonal ball into the box, where Howes briefly trapped the ball, then punched it into the net to put the Timbers up 3-1, just three minutes after his header had given them the lead.

Just one minute later, the Timbers nearly widened the gap when after Afash made a deep run, his shot was blocked by Marques, but then ricocheted off Vancouver's Nico Berg, and narrowly missed going into the net for an own goal. The Whitecaps had another good chance when Kindel played a nice diagonal ball into the net which trickled across the goal mouth, but no Whitecaps were able to put it towards net and it trickled over the endline.

In the 69th minute, Kindel once again made a good run down the left side, but his shot from 20 yards out was right at Napoleon. In the 73rd minute, a shot from Kindel towards net was stopped when it hit one of his own players in the face. The Whitecaps were keeping control of the ball most of the time by this point, but did not really seem to be able to go forward. They didn't get another good chance until the 88th minute when Valente had an open look from 30 yards out and took a blast that went just high and wide left. As the teams entered extra time, Jordan had another good opportunity for Vancouver when he turned from 20 yards out, but hit his shot just over the bar.

In injury time, the Timber appeared certain to expand the lead to 4-1 when a pass from McKinley Tennyson to Howes had him in behind the defense, having made a perfectly timed run from midfield. And though the assistant referee had kept his flag down, the head referee made an offside call and brought the ball back. The match ended shortly afterwards, and the Timbers had their second straight win by a 3-1 final.