COLUMBUS -- Forwards Steven Lenhart and Jason Garey, starting together for the first time in place of the Columbus Crew's injured two top scorers, were in all on the goals as Columbus defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 Saturday at Crew Stadium to tie the MLS home undefeated record.
Lenhart scored in the 23rd minute and assisted on the second of two Garey scores in the 53rd as Columbus stretched its home undefeated mark to 18 (12-0-6), to match San Jose's league streak in 2004-05 as well the Earthquakes' unblemished mark of 20 including the playoffs.The Crew's last defeat in Crew Stadium was 2-0 to San Jose on June 7, 2008. They can set the record July 25 vs. Toronto FC. Columbus already owns the overall unbeaten standard of 19 matches that extended a game into the 2005 season and the road undefeated mark of nine set in 2004.
Reserve midfielder Raphael Cox had his first goal for Real Salt Lake in the 76th minute to make it 3-1. Former Crew player Chris Wingert and Pablo Campos, in his first game with the club, assisted.
The Crew (6-3-9) did not dress Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- who leads MLS with 10 goals -- because of a strained hamstring, as well as Alejandro Moreno (groin), second on the club with three goals. Columbus was minus players who scored 17 of 22 goals this season, leaving midfielder Eddie Gaven as the top scorer with two going into the match.
It didn't matter, especially on the third goal. Garey, who made it 2-0 in the 31st minute, sprinted up field after laying the ball back to Duncan Oughton at midfield. Oughton fed the ball down the right wing to Lenhart, who was surrounded by three RSL players but put a one-touch heel pass square to Garey. After dribbling to the penalty spot, Garey slotted the ball with his left foot past goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
RSL (5-7-5) tried to get back into match but William Hesmer made a fingertip save to his left on Clint Mathis in the 69th and Yura Movsisyan hit the crossbar in the 71st before Cox broke through. He took a header from Campos, acquired this from San Jose this week, and drilled a left-footer from 16 yards.
As expected this time of the year when national team call-ups, injuries and suspension accumulate there were absentees aplenty for both sides.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup denied Real Salt Lake the use of Will Johnson, Jean Alexandre and Kyle Beckerman and the Crew were without Chad Marshall and Robbie Rogers.
Also, Emmanuel Ekpo of Columbus and Real Salt Lake's Fabian Espindola served one-game suspensions and RSL's Andy Williams did not travel to be with his wife, Marcia, who is being treated for leukemia. Mathis wore Williams' No. 77 in tribute.
The biggest change for the home side was the first start since June 14, 2008, for Oughton, the longest tenured Crew player, who has been with the team since 2001. RSL had two different faces in the lineup from its last match, a 1-1 tie with San Jose on July 3, with defender Jamison Olave and forward Robbie Findley joining the first XI. Findley had three goals in a 4-1 win against the Crew on April 2.
So depleted were the rosters that each team had only six players on the bench, one below the maximum. The Crew used one of their spots on midfielder Adam Moffat, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is not cleared to play. RSL listed two 'keepers on its bench.
Lenhart put Columbus ahead at the stroke of the 23rd minute thanks to a defensive mistake in front of the goal. The play started with Oughton spotting defender Frankie Hejduk on an overlapping run on the right win.
Hejduk made a service into that Olave mishandled. The clearing went straight to Lenhart for a right-footed strike from 10 yards and his first score of the season on the unassisted goal.
Garey netted his second of the season in the 31st minute and Lenhart was part of it even though he did not get an assist. Lenhart headed a cross from the left corner by Eddie Gaven that Rimando tried to punch out of the way. The ball instead hit Garey in the chest and settled at Garey's right foot for the easy tap-in from 2 yards.
RSL finally quelled the momentum and got a shot from Robbie Russell that barely missed the target in the 36th and Mathis unleashed a strike from 18 yards that Hesmer dove to his right to make the last of two saves in the opening 45 minutes.
The last play of the first half was a bending shot from the right touch line by Movsisyan that missed the left upper corner of the goal.
The Crew are 6-1-7 in their past 14 games and 5-0-4 at home after opening the season with three consecutive ties heading into next weekend's Trillium Cup match vs. Toronto. RSL, who had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped, plays host to FC Dallas on Friday.
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