Sounders rookie goalkeeper Eylander makes 5 saves

The kind of pressure Chris Eylander faced would be enough to result in defeat a lot of nights.

But the Seattle Sounders' rookie goalkeeper was there to deny the Portland Timbers at every turn.

Eylander, a University of Washington product, came up with five acrobatic saves and turned back a late flurry of shots as the Sounders settled for a 0-0 tie with the Timbers in a United Soccer Leagues First Division match Friday night in front of 2,251 fans at Qwest Field.

Eylander's most critical save came in the 90th minute. He got his foot on a point-blank shot by late substitute Tom Poltl on a dangerous cross by Oral Bullen. After Sounders defender Jacob Besagno nicked Poltl's shot, Eylander stopped the ball enough for teammate Roger Levesque to clear the ball, which rested about 4 yards from the goal line.

"That was a tough ball to save, and it wasn't one I would get to all the time," said Eylander, who has registered three shutouts in his last three matches while splitting time with David Mahoney. "We just had to scramble and we didn't have as much control at the end of the game."

The Sounders (2-2-3 USL First Division, nine points) were outshot in the second half 9-4 and survived to earn one point in the standings thanks in large part to Eylander's solid play.

"I'm definitely getting a feel for my teammates and getting confidence," Eylander said.

The first half ended in a scoreless tie, but each team had plenty of scoring opportunities. The Sounders twice had one-on-one breakaways against Timbers goalkeeper Josh Saunders, but both times Saunders came out and snuffed out an open-net attempt.

In the ninth minute, Andrew Gregor took a left-footed blast that Saunders blocked. Levesque hit a rebound but defender Scot Thompson blocked it off the back line.

In the 35th minute, Levesque broke free on the right side and appeared offsides, but there was no linesman's call. Saunders smothered the ball off of Levesque's foot just inside the penalty area with an open net behind him.

Seattle outshot Portland 10-4 in the first half.

"We had opportunities in the first half that we should've buried," Schmetzer said. "We should've buried one and should've buried them. We've got to make teams pay."

Note

• MF Leighton O'Brien returned to the Seattle starting lineup after missing four matches with a foot injury. O'Brien left after the first half after his right foot began bothering him.

• The Seattle Sounders Saints Women beat the Fort Collins Force 2-1 in Fort Collins, Colo., in W-League action. Chalise Baysa and Michelle French scored for Seattle and goalie Lisa Brookens had eight saves.