Joaquin Pereyra scored one goal and assisted on another as Minnesota United rolled to a 3-0 win over host Austin FC on Saturday in a Western Conference match.
The Loons (5-2-4, 19 points) won for the first time since April 6 but earned points for the third time in four matches. Minnesota is unbeaten in nine of its past 10 outings and rebounded from a 3-1 loss at home to West-leading Vancouver on April 27.
Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair stopped four shots for his sixth clean sheet of the year.
Austin (5-5-1, 16 points) dropped its second straight match without finding the net and was held without a goal for the fifth time this season. Ten games into the season, the Verde have just seven goals, have scored more than one goal in a match just once and carry a goal differential of minus-6, next to last in the West.
The Verde was the aggressor early on. Osman Bukari had an excellent scoring chance in the 14th minute that was batted away by St. Clair. But the rebound rolled right to Austin’s Owen Wolff, who was then also denied in the goalmouth.
Pereyra turned the tables on Austin in the 22nd minute, charging into the offensive zone and ripping a shot off the foot of Verde midfielder Ilie Sanchez that spun through the legs of keeper Brad Stuver and into the net. The score was credited as an own goal to Sanchez and gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
The Loons added to their advantage in the 35th minute when Anthony Markanich used his head at the center of the box to turn around a pass from Jefferson Diaz and beat Stuver to the bottom right corner.
Pereyra had another chance in the waning moments of the first half, hitting a left-footed shot from just outside the center of the box that Stuver was able to corral.
Austin tried to counter in the second half but managed only a shot on target by Robert Taylor that was blocked by Loons defender Jefferson Diaz.
That set the stage for Pereyra’s goal, which came with a clinical left-footer from outside the box in the first minute of stoppage time that put a bow on the win.
–Field Level Media
