By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver Whitecaps FC strengthened their position at the top of the NASL Conference standings, while Rochester Rhinos closed the gap on leaders Austin Aztex in the USL Conference following the latest weekend of action in the USSF D-2 Pro League.
The Whitecaps capped off a fine spell of road matches with notable results against two of their rivals, while Carolina RailHawks and Crystal Palace Baltimore joined Rochester in claiming maximum points over the weekend.
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The action started on Wednesday night in Quebec, as the Whitecaps overcame a dominant first-half performance by Canadian arch-rivals Montreal Impact to record a famous 2-1 win at Stade Saputo. Former Whitecaps midfielder Tony Donatelli gave Montreal an early lead before Greg Janicki struck his second goal of the season to draw Vancouver level at 1-1 in the second half. That allowed Luca Bellisomo to fire home a volleyed strike in time added on and give the 'Caps their first-ever regular season win at Montreal's soccer-specific stadium.
Montreal's woes then continued in Upstate New York, as former Impact head coach Bob Lilley and his Rhinos side claimed a
2-1 home victory
in one of four matches on Saturday. Troy Roberts and Rich Costanzo scored for Rochester, while Impact substitute Reda Agourram had Montreal's consolation goal at Marina Auto Stadium. In Missouri, Carolina took their undefeated streak to seven matches after a
2-0 win
at struggling Athletic Club of St. Louis. Goals by Joseph Kabwe and Josh Gardner gave the RailHawks victory over an AC St. Louis side that remain rooted to the bottom of the NASL Conference standings.
In Texas, the Aztex claimed an early lead through an own-goal during Saturday's home match with USL Conference strugglers Puerto Rico Islanders before Keon Daniel earned the Caribbean club champions a point with a
1-1 draw
at Austin's House Park. In Oregon, the Whitecaps wrapped up an undefeated run of five away matches with a 0-0 draw versus Portland Timbers at PGE Park.
There were two matches on Sunday, including a Florida derby contest between FC Tampa Bay Rowdies and Miami FC at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The match ended in a
1-1 draw
, with both goals coming in the late stages. New Zealand international Jeremy Christie put the Rowdies in front before Edward Santeliz earned a point for the Blues with a last-minute equalizer. Finally, in Minnesota, a late goal by Tsuyoshi Yoshitake gave Crystal Palace Baltimore a
1-0 away win
over the Stars. The result ended Baltimore's winless run of five straight league matches.