By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
It was a good weekend for clubs chasing conference leaders Austin Aztex and Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the USSF D-2 Pro League.
Carolina RailHawks, NSC Minnesota Stars, and Portland Timbers recorded wins during the latest weekend of action, while Athletic Club of St. Louis claimed valuable league points against Canadian opposition.
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The action started on Thursday night, with AC St. Louis earning a very creditable 1-1 draw
at the NASL Conference-leading Whitecaps. Despite being out-shot 13 to four, the Missouri outfit took a surprise lead through defender Mark Bloom before the Whitecaps earned a point with a fine equalizer from Randy Edwini-Bonsu.
There were two games on Friday. In Upstate New York, USL Conference foes Austin and Rochester Rhinos played out a
goalless draw
at Marina Auto Stadium. Down in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico Islanders defeated ten-man Crystal Palace Baltimore
2-0
. Richard Martinez and an Andrew Marshall own-goal in the first half at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium gave the Islanders all three points.
Three games took place on Saturday, with AC St. Louis stunning another Canadian opponent after an impressive
3-0 home win
over Montreal Impact. Second-half goals by Chris Salvaggione, Luke Kreamalmeyer, and Jeff Cosgriff gave the Missouri club only their third victory of the season. The Impact, who also had David Testo sent off at Anheuser-Busch Center, have now lost three straight in the league. In Minnesota, a first-half own-goal by FC Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Rob Valentino gave NSC Minnesota Stars a
1-0 home win
, while in the Pacific Northwest, second-half goals by Ross Smith and Ryan Pore gave Portland Timbers a
2-0 home win
over Miami FC.
Finally, on Sunday, Carolina RailHawks took their unbeaten run to eight matches after a
2-0 victory
over the Islanders in Puerto Rico. Goals by Sallieu Bundu and Josh Gardner gave Martin Rennie's side all three points in the Caribbean. The North Carolina-based outfit now sit five points behind the Whitecaps in the NASL Conference standings, with three games in hand on Vancouver.