Rapids beat Whitecaps 2-1 with brace from Jose Mari

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Jose Mari scored a pair of goals three minutes apart in the second half and the Colorado Rapids came back to beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 on Saturday.

Mari scored in the 79th and 82nd minutes shortly after Matias Laba was sent off in the 77th for a deliberate hand ball that was his second yellow. He had been booked for a foul in the 54th, too.

Two minutes later, Mari sliced home a left-footed shot off the goalpost from the left flank. With the Whitecaps still reeling from that goal, Mari put a chip shot from the top of the box over Vancouver defenders and stunned Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted.

The Rapids were without strikers Vicente Sanchez and Edson Buddle, who chose not to play on the artificial turf in Vancouver.

Darren Mattocks scored for the Whitecaps as all of the goals came in the final 45 minutes following a scoreless first half.

Notes: Injured Whitecaps midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker (concussion) missed his second consecutive game, but has resumed training. a Rapids midfielder Kamani Hill received a yellow card for a deliberate hand-ball as he palmed Russell Teibert's intended cross for Miller on a counter-attack off Colorado's lone corner-kick in the first half. a Colorado defender Marc Burch was cautioned in the second half for taking Morales down with a hand to the head.