Zelarayan sparks Crew to victory over Rapids

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Lucas Zelarayán had a goal and two assists to rally the Columbus Crew to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night.

Sam Nicholson scored his first goal of the season — unassisted in the 9th minute to give Colorado the early lead.

Zelarayán tied the match by halftime, taking passes from Yaw Yeboah and Malte Amundsen in the 37th minute and scoring for the seventh time this season.

Sean Zawadzki gave the Crew (6-6-3) the lead when he took a pass from Zelarayán in the 62nd minute and scored his second goal of the season.

Zelarayán notched his fifth assist of the season 10 minutes later on an insurance goal by Cucho Hernández — his second. Hernández was held without an assist for the first time in the last five matches.

The extra goal came in handy when Colorado's Cole Bassett scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Bassett's second goal this season came with an assist from Calvin Harris.

Marko Ilic made his MLS debut in goal for the Rapids (2-8-6), finishing with three saves. Patrick Schulte saved one shot for the Crew.

Despite the loss, the Rapids still boast a 6-3-3 record in the last 12 meetings, including the playoffs. Colorado has scored in 17 straight matches against the Crew, the longest active streak against a single opponent in the league.

The Crew snap a three-match losing streak in all competitions, with all three coming on the road.

Colorado returns home to play the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. Columbus will host Charlotte FC on Saturday

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