Gabriel Pec scores in 4th straight game, Galaxy close in on West’s top seed with 2-1 win over Austin
AP Sports Writer
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Dejan Joveljić scored the go-ahead goal in the 76th minute, Gabriel Pec became the second Los Angeles player to score in four straight matches this season and the Galaxy moved closer to wrapping up the top seed in the Western Conference with a 2-1 victory over Austin FC on Saturday night.
Sebastián Driussi evened it in the 55th minute for Austin (10-14-9), which was eliminated from MLS postseason contention.
“It had a playoff feel because they had to win the game and for us trying to win the West and finish the season at home unbeaten,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said.
Joveljić and Pec both have 15 goals this season for the Galaxy (19-7-7), who are six points ahead of Los Angeles FC and on the verge of finishing first in the Western Conference for the first time since 2011.
The win also gave the Galaxy a 12-0-3 record at Dignity Health Sports Park. Their lone home loss was on July 4 to LAFC at the Rose Bowl.
LAFC has one game in hand due to advancing to the Leagues Cup final earlier this season. It will play its rescheduled match at Vancouver on Oct. 13.
The MLS regular season concludes on Oct. 19 with the Galaxy at Houston and LAFC hosting San Jose.
“From the beginning of the year our goal was to keep this place a fortress. When we play at home we’re a very tough team to beat,” Galaxy defender John Nelson said.
Riqui Puig assisted on both of the Galaxy’s goals. John McCarthy made four saves in goal.
Austin’s Brad Stuver saved two shots. Possession was nearly even while Austin had an 18-15 edge in shots.
“We pushed them, but they have so much quality. Our guys hung in there, grinded and competed,” Austin coach Josh Wolff said. “In the end it was a challenging year. We hoped to be in the playoffs. We weren’t able to score enough goals to get us in a position of getting in.”
Joveljić got a pass from Puig in the center of the box and eluded a pair of Austin defenders before lofting a shot into the left side of the net to put the Galaxy back on top.
Driussi made it 1-all early in the second half when he got the pass from Osman Bukari nine yards out and scored for the first time in nearly five months.
Pec opened the scoring in the 31st minute. He eluded Austin defender Guilherme Biro twice and brought the ball up near the end line before putting booting it into the far side of the net with his left foot.
Pec, who is in his first season in MLS, has four goals and three assists in his last four games.
Joveljić has the longest goal streak in Galaxy history as he scored in five straight games at the beginning of the season.
The match had a chippy ending when Biro got a red card after making a studs up tackle on Puig near the Galaxy bench in the 103rd minute.
“It is what happens when refs don’t manage the game. He did a tough time from the get go,” Wolff said. “The stars take a beating but it’s his job (the referee’s) to make sure players respect the rules and that was lost early in the game.”
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