PORTLAND (Interstat) — Ariel Lassiter scored twice and Cole Bassett supplied a stoppage-time winner as the Portland Timbers rallied for a 3-2 victory over Charlotte on Saturday at Providence Park. The result gave Portland its first win in the competition this season and left Charlotte with a narrow road defeat after a back-and-forth match. Portland improved to 1-1-2 in the competition and across all competitions, while Charlotte moved to 1-2-1 in the competition and across all competitions.

Charlotte opened the scoring in the third minute when Pep Biel found the net. Portland answered in the 11th through Lassiter, and Lassiter struck again in the 40th to send the Timbers into halftime with a 2-1 lead. Idan Toklomati equalized for Charlotte in the 69th, setting up a tense finish. Biel and Toklomati each played the full 90 minutes for Charlotte, and Biel’s early goal gave the visitors a brief advantage before Portland’s response. The visitors looked to protect the draw after Toklomati’s goal, but Portland kept the ball in the attacking half and forced the late breakthrough. Portland’s equalizer shifted the momentum, and the Timbers created the better chances for much of the first half.

Bassett, who played 25 minutes, scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time. Lassiter finished with two goals in 84 minutes before being replaced. Ashley Westwood played 86 minutes and recorded an assist before making way late. Eric Izoita played 65 minutes, supplied two assists and received a yellow card. Ian Smith delivered an assist during one minute of action, and Luca De La Torre logged 28 minutes with an assist for Charlotte. Charlotte’s N. Byrne also was cautioned in the 45th minute. The scoring from Lassiter and Bassett, along with the assists from Westwood, Izoita, Smith and De La Torre, highlighted the key attacking contributions. Bassett’s late finish proved the difference in a match that featured five goals and several momentum swings.

The Timbers made changes in the 65th minute when J. Fory and Izoita entered the match, and Portland replaced Lassiter and V. Janssen in the 84th minute after Lassiter’s two-goal effort. Charlotte substituted L. Abada in the 62nd minute, used R. Aloko and D. Schnegg in the 71st, and removed Westwood in the 86th. The substitutions brought fresh legs as both sides chased the result, but Portland’s late pressure produced the final breakthrough. The closing stages featured end-to-end play as both teams searched for the next goal.

Portland’s winning sequence came after Charlotte had taken the early lead and then pulled level midway through the second half. The Timbers pressed for the final goal and found it deep into stoppage time when Bassett converted. The late strike capped a match that swung repeatedly, with Lassiter’s first-half pair offsetting Biel’s opener and Toklomati’s equalizer threatening to force a draw. Izoita’s booking in the 17th minute was the first yellow card of the match, and Byrne’s caution just before halftime added to the physical tone.

The Timbers had entered after a scoreless home draw against Colorado Rapids, while Charlotte had arrived following a road draw at Philadelphia Union. Charlotte had drawn 2-2 at Philadelphia Union in its previous match, lost 3-1 at Columbus Crew and beaten FC Dallas 3-2. Portland had drawn 0-0 with Colorado Rapids, lost 2-0 at Los Angeles Galaxy and drawn 3-3 at Sporting Kansas City. Both teams remain in an early-season stretch with little separation in the standings. The result added another tight chapter to the teams’ early schedules.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Charlotte 2, Portland Timbers 1. Interstat’s ELO system had given Charlotte a 58 percent probability to win before the match.