Late goals lift Real Salt Lake to a 3-1 win over Vancouver

Real Salt Lake, with the help of late stoppage time heroics from Erik Holt and Damir Kreilach, earned all three points in an exciting 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

RSL came out swinging, creating some decent chances early in the game as Andrew Brody started a couple fantastic team build-ups that led to solid shots from the likes of Rubio Rubin. They logged four total shots — three on frame — within the first 25 minutes of the game, keeping the Whitecaps on their back foot.

Damir Kreilach got his fourth goal of the season in the 43rd minute, opening the scoring for the home side. Brody brought the ball up the left side and sent it in toward the middle to Albert Rusnak. He quickly did a smooth little flick over to Kreilach who sent the ball far post and caught Maxime Crepeau diving the wrong way as the ball sailed into the back of the net.

RSL gave up a free kick in a dangerous area just before half, but the ‘Caps were unable to get the ball past David Ochoa, and the teams went into the halftime break with RSL up 1-0. The home side controlled 57 percent of possession while sending four shots out of six total on frame in the first 45 minutes.

Vancouver came out and pulled back an equalizer in the 54th minute after Andrew Brody gave the ball away on the far left side. Javain Brown sent a ball in far across the goal and Brian White was able to tap it in past Ochoa and into the back of the net. Aaron Herrera slid in to try and block the ball but it ended up deflecting off his foot before it went into the net.

Shortly after, a long free kick from the Whitecaps found Andy Rose’s head, and Ochoa was saved by the crossbar as the ball bounced off of it and back out into play, just inches away from putting the visitors ahead.

It wasn’t until stoppage time and an unlikely hero that RSL would take the lead again, for good this time. Erik Holt grabbed a goal off a throw in in the second minute of stoppage time, while Damir Kreilach put one in just three minutes later, propelling the home side to a 3-1 win when it seems they would split points at the end of this one.

Real Salt Lake heads to Seattle to take on the Sounders next week before returning home to host the Houston Dynamo.

Lineups

Real Salt Lake
Ochoa; Herrera, Glad, Silva (68’ Holt), Brody; Besler, Ruiz; Julio (68’ Meram), Kreilach, Rusnak; Rubin

Vancouver Whitecaps
Crepeau; Brown, Godoy, Rose, Gutierrez; Bikel, Baldisimo, Alexandre; Dajome, White (61’ Cavallini), Caicedo

Discipline

3’ - VAN - Javain Brown (yellow card)
12’ - RSL - Marcelo Silva (yellow card)
85’ - RSL - Justin Medan (yellow card)
89’ - RSL - Aaron Herrera (yellow card)

Scoring

42’ - RSL - Damir Kreilach (Albert Rusnak, Andrew Brody)
54’ - VAN - Brian White (Javain Brown)
90’+2 - RSL - Erik Holt (Aaron Herrera)
90’+5 - RSL - Damir Kreilach (Justin Meram, Aaron Herrera)