HOUSTON -- Chris Wondolowski scored two goals and Zach Wells had five saves as the Houston Dynamo reserve team defeated Chivas USA 2-0 Sunday at Robertson Stadium.
Dynamo came out sluggish in the first half, while Chivas had numerous scoring chances. The Goats, however, couldn't get anything past Wells, who had three saves in the opening stanza.
Houston scored shortly after the break. In the 47th minute, Kevin Goldthwaite took a shot after getting a cross from Corey Ashe. Goldthwaite's shot was deflected, and Wondolowski headed in the rebound for the 1-0 lead.
In the 77th minute, Goldthwaite's free kick from the right trickled through several Chivas defenders before finding Wondolowski in front of the net, who deposited it in the right side of the goal for his and Dynamo's second.
"I felt in the first half (Chivas) caused a couple of problems, but not by their good play," said Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer. "We were giving them chances, and in the second half, we sorted a couple things out. I just felt we had to be a little bit more physical to match them.
"In the second half, what can you say? Two good goals by Wondolowski. He scored 17 goals in 30 reserve games, which is a fantastic achievement. I'm delighted with the second half performance."
Chivas had a few chances in the second half to tie the score at one, but a shot by Mohammed Sethi was saved and a shot by Erasmo Solorzano from the top of the box was knocked over the crossbar by Wells to preserve the shutout.
The Red-and-White's goalkeeper, Preston Burpo, saw six shots on the day, but only three of them were on goal. Burpo made only one save.
"They wanted it more and played harder, and it's as simple as that. They were better," said Chivas head coach Preki. "We had a couple chances, but couldn't put them away. They played the hard the whole game. We played hard in spurts."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
