By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
Austin Aztex and Vancouver Whitecaps FC made stronger claims to earning the top two playoff spots in the USSF D-2 Pro League following the latest round of action.
With the regular season moving into the home stretch, it proved to be a challenging week for some clubs still looking to secure their spot in the postseason.
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The action started on Tuesday night in Cary, North Carolina, with Rochester Rhinos getting the fortune of a Matt Bobo own-goal to
win 1-0
at Carolina RailHawks.
There were two matches on Wednesday, with the Whitecaps strengthening their lead in the NASL Conference with a late 1-0 victory at Canadian rivals Montreal Impact. Greg Janicki headed home Vancouver's winner at Stade Saputo. Meanwhile, in Fenton, Missouri, a Mike Ambersley hat-trick helped Athletic Club of St. Louis defeat Portland Timbers
3-0
at the Anheuser-Busch Center.
Action then moved to the weekend, with four games on Saturday. At the Maryland SoccerPlex, Crystal Palace Baltimore claimed a
1-1 draw
with ten-man Montreal, who had midfielder Simon Gatti sent off for two bookable offences. The Impact took the lead through a Tony Donatelli penalty before Gary Brooks earned a valuable point for Palace. In Carolina, the Whitecaps and RailHawks played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at WakeMed Soccer Park. A Martin Nash penalty and a first-ever goal by Philippe Davies gave Vancouver a two-goal lead, but strikes by Mark Schulte and Josh Gardner resulted in a share of the spoils.
In Florida, former Whitecaps midfielder Ricardo Sanchez scored for new side FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, as they
drew 2-2
at home to Portland. Aaron King also scored for the Rowdies, while the Timbers earned a point at George M. Steinbrenner Field with goals from Bright Dike and substitute Takayuki Suzuki. In the Texas state capital, Austin defeated struggling Miami FC
3-1
at House Park. Goals by Eddie Johnson, Lawrence Olum, and Kendell McFayden took the Aztex's unbeaten run to six matches. The Blues' lone reply came through Abe Thompson.
The lone match on Sunday saw AC St. Louis and NSC Minnesota Stars play to a
2-2 draw
at the Anheuser-Busch Center. Luke Kreamalmeyer struck twice for St. Louis, including a late penalty. However, the Stars earned a dramatic point with goals from Melvin Tarley and a very late equalizer from Brian Cvilikas.