Gabriel Pec scored his 13th goal of the season and added a pair of assists to lift the LA Galaxy to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night in Carson, Calif.
Pec also was instrumental on the sequence leading to a second-half own goal by Vancouver that put the Galaxy (17-7-7, 58 points) in front for good as they extended their lead atop the Western Conference.
With second-place Real Salt Lake settling for a draw on Saturday, the Galaxy now hold a seven-point edge atop the West.
Riqui Puig and Joseph Paintsil also scored for LA, with Paintsil’s strike in the 69th minute making the Galaxy the first team in MLS history to have four double-digit goal scorers in a single season.
Brian White scored his 14th goal of the year to briefly pull Vancouver (13-9-7, 46 points) within one in the second half before Sam Adekugbe added a late consolation tally for the Whitecaps, who saw a four-match unbeaten streak come to an end.
Pec opened the scoring in the 32nd minute on an attack created by Puig’s through ball to Dejan Joveljic, who saw his effort denied.
Pec was first to the rebound at the right side of the penalty area, where he opened up his body and, while in stride, curled a finish around Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
Pec also played a big part in LA’s goal five minutes after halftime, when after playing a give-and-go to get down the right flank, he tried to pick out Joveljic with a low cross.
Vancouver’s Sebastian Berhalter intervened but could only turn the ball into his own net from an awkward position, leading to the own goal.
White pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute with a finish from close range set up by Berhalter.
But Paintsil restored the hosts’ two-goal advantage six minutes later on a quick counterattack, with Pec running down the right side to reach Puig’s ball before setting up a simple finish with a low cross.
–Field Level Media
