Facundo Torres headed home a goal in the 79th minute to wake Austin FC from a match-long slumber and lift the home side to a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday in a Western Conference clash.
Austin (6-10-8, 26 points) rallied late to split the points in a match at home for the second time in five days and boosted their unbeaten streak to five consecutive outings. Torres’ goal was his fourth of the season and third in his past five games.
Colorado (10-12-2, 32 points) dominated the first 70 minutes of the match but was forced to settle for its first point on the road in its four road games since the World Cup break. The Rapids snapped a four-game stretch in which it had alternated between wins at home and losses on the road.
Austin keeper Brad Stuver stopped a low-percentage attempt to score by Youssef Maziz in the 10th minute but was helpless to save a shot by Paxten Aaronson in the 22nd minute that bounced off the inside of the left post and over the goal line and gave Colorado a 1-0 lead.
That play started with a shot by the Rapids’ Darren Yapi that was blocked by Austin’s Guilherme Biro but not completely cleared, allowing Aaronson to get his right foot on the rebound after the defense relaxed.
It was Colorado’s first goal on the road since before the World Cup break, a span of three away games and eight games overall.
Stuver turned away a shot by Donavan Phillip in the 29th minute and then another by Phillip three minutes later to keep the margin at one goal.
The Verde pushed diligently for the equalizer, with Joseph Rosales rushing into the box in the 64th minute and flicking a shot over the Colorado defense that Colorado keeper Nico Hansen batted away with his right hand. Hansen then stopped Jorge Alastuey’s header three minutes later to keep the Rapids in front.
Stuver kept the Verde in the match with a stirring save on a shot by Aaronson in the 77th minute.
That set the stage for Torres, who roamed free in the middle of the box and leaped high to head home a perfect centering pass from Zan Kolmanic into the near post past diving Hansen.
–Field Level Media
