United States striker Brian White scored a franchise-record four goals and became the first player in Whitecaps history to score 50 career regular-season goals as Vancouver beat Austin FC 5-1 on Saturday.
Emmanuel Sabbi added a goal and an assist for Vancouver (6-1-1), which improved upon the best start to a season in franchise history.
Édier Ocampo played an arcing ball-in to Daniel Ríos, who lofted a short soft one-touch pass from near to penalty spot to White, whose volley rolled into the net to open the scoring in the 13th minute. It was the first MLS goal contribution for the Ocampo in the 21-year-old defender’s fifth career start.
Ralph Priso, near midfield, stole a goal kick played by Brad Stuver, quickly passed it ahead to Sabbi at the edge of the area. White slipped behind the defense and ran onto a ball played by Sabbi and beat Stuver, who charged off his line, to make it 2-0.
Sabbi put away a corner kick played in by Pedro Vite and deflected by Austin midfielder Dani Pereira to give the Whitecaps a 3-0 lead in the 47th minute.
White blasted a first-time shot from point-blank range that bounced off the head of defender Brendan Hines-Ike in front of the goal and into the net in the 59th and made it 5-0 with another instant finish, off a feed from Ali Ahmed, in the 83rd.
White has 52 career goals in the regular season. He is the 18th player in MLS history to score four goals in a single game.
Pereira, from outside the area, bent a shot inside the back post in the 90th minute for Austin (4-3-1), the first goal conceded by the Whitecaps since their 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire on March 22.
Yohei Takaoka had three saves for the Whitecaps.
Austin went into the match having conceded an MLS-low three goals and its four shutouts were tied (with the Whitecaps, Minnesota United and St. Louis City) for most in the league.
Stuver had six saves for Austin, including a diving stop of a penalty kick in the 72nd.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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