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COMMERCE CITY, Colorado -- Omar Cummings and Christian Gomez scored second-half goals Thursday, leading the Colorado Rapids to a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Cummings broke open the scoreless tie in the 65th minute with his third goal of the season, when he took a centering pass from Gomez on the left side of the penalty box and feathered a quick right-footed shot past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
The goal continued the duo's high-scoring ways. Cummings leads the Rapids with three goals while Gomez moved into a tie with Columbus' Guillermo Barros Schelotto with an MLS-best five assists.
Following a penalty by Real Salt Lake's Matias Mantilla for deflecting a pass with an open hand, Gomez added an insurance goal for Colorado on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute when his right-footed blast found the left side of the net.
Bouna Coundoul recorded three saves in his 15th career shutout for the Rapids (4-4-0), who stand atop the Western Conference standings with 12 points after their "Rocky Mountain Cup" conquest - the first of three meetings between the teams this season.
The win also halted a poor stretch by the Rapids, who had lost three of their last four games.
Rimando turned away four shots for Real Salt Lake (2-4-2), which failed in its attempt to take over first place in the West. RSL finished last in the conference in each of the last two years after a fifth-place finish in its inaugural 2005 season.
