Football
2021 Major League Soccer, Regular Season
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Reuters 2y

Early-second-half goals push Rapids past Austin FC

Nicolas Mezquida and Auston Trusty scored goals early in the second half as the surging Colorado Rapids dominated Austin FC in a 3-0 win on Wednesday in a Western Conference match at Commerce City, Colo.

The Rapids (13-4-9, 48 points) snapped a run of four consecutive draws and extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in MLS. Colorado has not lost since falling 3-0 at Real Salt Lake on July 24, its only defeat in a 17-match span.

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The Rapids took advantage of a late-first half defensive lapse by Austin FC to take a lead. Jonathan Lewis headed a shot after a crossing pass from Jack Price that bounced off Austin defender Nick Lima to put Colorado in front in first-half stoppage time.

Mezquida doubled the lead for the Rapids 20 seconds into the second half. Austin goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell, seeing his first action of the season, failed to clear a ball from the zone, and Mezquida swallowed up the loose ball, shaping a shot over Tarbell and into the net.

The Rapids added to the rout when Trusty leaped to head home a pass from Price off a corner kick in the 59th minute. Trusty's shot bounced before crossing the goal line and evading Tarbell.

William Yarbrough was called on to make just four saves for the Rapids in the victory. He has 11 shutouts on the season, tied with Nashville SC's Joe Willis for the league lead.

Austin (6-17-4, 22 points) lost for the sixth time in its past seven games and was shut out for the 14th time in its expansion season. Austin rests at the bottom of the West standings, five points in arrears of 12th-place Houston with seven matches remaining.

The win allowed the Rapids to capture the season series after the teams each posted a victory in two earlier meetings.

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