Bassi's PK goal sparks Houston to victory over Austin

HOUSTON (AP) — Amine Bassi scored on a penalty kick in the 71st minute to break a scoreless tie and lead the Houston Dynamo to a 2-0 victory over Austin FC on Saturday night.

Bassi's goal came after Austin's Adam Lundkvist was charged with a hand-ball foul. Héctor Herrera took a pass from Griffin Dorsey and added an insurance goal in the 86th minute.

Houston (1-2-0), which lost its first two matches to open a season for the first time in club history, snapped a three-match skid against Austin and picked up its second win in the last six match-ups.

Austin (2-2-0), which lost to first-year member St. Louis City in its opener, had won two straight matches for the first time since a four-match win streak spanning June and July last season. Austin's four wins over the Dynamo are its most against any team.

Houston has managed at least two points through its first three matches in every season but 2009, when it started 0-2-1.

The Dynamo outshot Austin 15-13 with a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

Steve Clark made five saves to earn the clean sheet for Houston. Brad Stuver saved five shots for Austin.

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