Ryan Gauld scored twice and Julian Gressel set up a goal with a steal and an assist as the Vancouver Whitecaps posted a 2-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night.
Both Vancouver goals came after the Rapids were careless with the ball deep in their own zone.
Thomas Hasal made three saves while playing in goal for the Whitecaps (9-11-6, 33 points) for the first time since May 8. He had been sidelined due to a fractured finger.
The victory was Vancouver’s second in the past eight matches (2-3-3).
Gyasi Zardes scored a goal for Colorado (8-10-7, 31 points) and nearly tied the match in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time but his header caromed off the left post.
William Yarbrough wasn’t called on to make a save for Colorado, which had lost just once in its previous seven matches.
The Rapids had a 15-8 edge in shots and placed four on target to Vancouver’s three.
Gauld’s first goal came in the 14th minute. Gressel collected the ball after a Colorado misplay and fed Gauld, who sent a left-footed shot past Yarbrough.
The second goal came in the 40th minute when Gauld sped up to catch a poor Colorado pass. Yarbrough came out to cut off the angle, and Gauld had no trouble booting a left-footed shot into the right corner for his sixth goal of the season.
Gauld had a chance for the hat trick in the 49th minute as his left-footer shot was to the left of Yarbrough but Colorado defender Steven Beitashour was at the goal line to knock it away.
Colorado got on the board in the 76th minute when Jonathan Lewis took a right-footed shot that Hasal stopped. The rebound went directly to Zardes, who easily knocked the ball into the net for his seventh goal in 17 games with the Rapids since being acquired from the Columbus Crew. It was his eighth overall this season.
Zardes had a chance to tie the match in the 90th minute, but he couldn’t reach Diego Rubio’s pass near the goal and the ball went out of bounds. Four minutes later, his header had Hasal beat but hit the post.
Lewis had two solid opportunities. His right-footed blast in the 26th minute hit off the crossbar. Then two minutes into the second half, his right-footed shot was saved by Hasal.
–Field Level Media
