VANCOUVER — A pair of goals from Christian Ramirez lifted Austin FC to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday.
The American striker got Austin (7-10-8) on the board in the 28th minute, then doubled his output in the 60th.
The goals came off of the visitors’ only two on-target shots of the night. The Whitecaps registered 19 shots across the game, including six on target.
Brian White temporarily levelled the score at 1-1 in the 49th minute with his 16th goal across all competitions this season.
The Whitecaps (14-6-4) remain atop of Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings despite the result, while Austin remains one point below the playoff bar.
Vancouver was without star midfielder Thomas Muller, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Sunday, but was held out of the game with a thigh injury he picked up in the team’s 3-0 victory over the L.A. Galaxy on Wednesday.
White nearly gave the ‘Caps an early lead in the sixth minute on Sunday with a shot from near the penalty spot, only to see Austin keeper Brad Stuver dive to make the stop.
Vancouver maintained pressure but got caught in transition in the 28th minute when Facundo Torres raced up the field and chipped a ball in to Ramirez. The striker hammered a right-footed shot into the bottom of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead on Austin’s first shot of the game.
The game grew increasingly physical with players from both sides getting bodied to the turf.
An aggressive play resulted in a penalty kick in the 39th minute when Besard Sabovic pulled ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld down inside the area.
The Scottish midfielder stepped up to take the kick and sent his shot glancing off the crossbar.
While Vancouver controlled 57.7 per cent of possession and outshot the visiting side 5-1 across the first half, Austin held a 1-0 lead heading into the locker rooms.
The Whitecaps levelled the score at 1-1 shortly after returning to the field.
White beat his defender to a ball from Gauld, drove into Austin territory and sent a low, rolling shot in past Stuver for his 15th goal in MLS play this season.
Gauld nearly doubled Vancouver’s total a minute later off a give-and-go with White at the top of the penalty area, but his shot pinged off the crossbar.
Austin sucked much of the energy out of the announced crowd of 23,855 in the 60th minute when Ramirez collected a ball from Rosales and blasted a shot into the top of the Vancouver net. His second goal of the night put the home side behind 2-1.
Fans vocally opposed referee Victor Rivas’ calls through the final 20 minutes of the game, calling “Ref you suck!” when Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen was shown a yellow for apparently arguing a call.
They repeated the chants minutes later when Austin was awarded a free kick from just above the penalty area following Emmanuel Sabbi’s foul on Mikkel Desler. Brandon Vázquez’s 83rd-minute attempt went over the Vancouver net.
The boo birds erupted once again in the 85th minute when Ramirez sat on ‘Caps midfielder Jevan Badwal and Badwal was called for the foul.
The crowd cheered Rivas in the 90th minute when Guilherme Biro was sent off with his second yellow of the night after he flattened Vancouver midfielder Rayan Elloumi.
The ‘Caps came up with a series of solid opportunities in stoppage time, including from newcomer Yadaly Diaby who sent a shot just over the crossbar with less than two minutes to go.
Austin: Visits FC Dallas in MLS action on Saturday.
Whitecaps: Face CF Montreal in Quebec on Wednesday for the back half of a two-legged Canadian Championship semifinal series. The two sides battled to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2.