Aston Villa edges Timbers on penalties

Associated Press Sports

updated 2:28 a.m. ET July 25, 2012

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -Aston Villa defeated the Portland Timbers in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in Tuesday's friendly.

After both teams successfully converted their first four spot kicks, Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped Bright Dike's penalty.

That set up a chance to win for Samir Carruthers, who put his shot into the top left corner.

The game had ended square after the Timbers came alive in the final 15 minutes.

Aston Villa controlled the first half, getting a goal in the 41st minute off a header from Ciaran Clark and having another disallowed when Stephen Ireland was called offside.

Portland's Sebastian Rincon scored off a corner from Franck Songo'o to tie the score at 1-1 in the 76th minute.

Just a few minutes later, Matthew Lowton scored for Aston Villa by heading in a corner.

However, Rodney Wallace drilled a left-footed goal from the top of the box in the 81st minute to tie it up again for Portland and send the game to penalties.

The Timbers have been a dramatically different team at raucous Jeld-Wen Field, where they are 5-2-3 this season, than on the road, where they are 0-2-8.

Aston Villa was completing a three-game preseason tour of America, having defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on July 18 and the Chicago Fire 1-0 on Saturday.

Aston Villa will look to rebound from a disappointing 16th-place Premier League finish last year when it kicks off the season Aug. 18 against West Ham.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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