A tightly-contested match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park resulted in a 1-1 draw between the Colorado Rapids Soccer Club and FC Dallas on Saturday night.
German winger Stefan Aigner tallied his second goal in as many matches to give the Rapids the early lead, but former Colorado defender Atiba Harris leveled the game nine minutes into the second half, splitting the points for the second time this season.
The Rapids’ first chance came six minutes into the match when Aigner sent a well-placed corner kick into the heart of the box, finding the head of Axel Sjöberg. The Swedish defender’s attempt was cleared out of danger after bouncing off the post following a slight deflection by Matt Hedges.
The home side would break through in the 15th minute, when Aigner sent his shot past Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez, capping off a smooth give-and-go between with him and midfielder Joshua Gatt.
FC Dallas brought their first effort on goal through Roland Lamah. After moving the ball into open space at the top of the box, the Ivorian forward fired a low shot towards the corner of the goal, but Rapids keeper Zac MacMath was there to push it away.
Colorado nearly doubled the lead in the 32nd minute when Alan Gordon received an Aigner cross, but his powerful left-footed strike on goal was met by a strong hand from Gonzalez.
The second half began with another miraculous save by Gonzalez, keeping his team in the match. Aigner lobbed a cross to the back post where Gordon was ready to meet it with his head. The forward hit it across the face of goal but the Dallas keeper made finger-tip contact, denying Gordon for the second time on the night.
The equalizer would come in the 54th minute after the referee awarded Dallas a questionable corner kick. Javier Morales sent in an out-swinging ball that was met by Harris, who hammered the ball down and in to the back of the net.
The remainder of the game was played out with both teams sharing possession but neither side was able to take home all three points. The Rapids play their final regular season home game of the 2017 season on Sunday, October 15 against Real Salt Lake. Kickoff at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MT (Altitude).
BOX SCORE
Colorado Rapids 1-1 FC Dallas
Dick’s Sporting Good Park; Commerce City, CO
Saturday, October 7, 2017
SCORING SUMMARY
COL: Stefan Aigner (Joshua Gatt) 15’
DAL: Atiba Harris (Javier Morales) 54’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
COL: Nana Boateng (caution) 22’
COL: Dominique Badji (caution) 68’
DAL: Atiba Harris (caution) 69’
Colorado Rapids: Zac MacMath; Marlon Hairston, Kortne Ford, Axel Sjöberg, Eric Miller; Nana Boateng, Mohammed Saeid; Joshua Gatt, Stefan Aigner (Shkëlzen Gashi 84’), Dominique Badji; Alan Gordon (Mike da Fonte 71’).
Subs not used: John Berner, Bobby Burling, Ricardo Perez, Luis Gil, Dillon Serna.
FC Dallas: Jesse Gonzalez; Hernan Grana, Atiba Harris, Matt Hedges, Ryan Hollingshead; Javier Morales, Carlos Gruezo; Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz (Victor Ulloa 89’), Roland Lamah (Tesho Akindele 67’); Maximiliano Urruti (Cristian Colmán 83’).
Subs not used: Chris Seitz, Walker Zimmerman, Reggie Cannon, Jacori Hayes.
ATTENDANCE: 16,598
TEAM RECORDS:
Colorado Rapids: 8-18-6 (30 points)
FC Dallas: 10-9-13 (43 points)
