Becher sparks Vancouver to 5-0 victory over Montreal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Simon Becher scored two goals and added an assist to power the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 5-0 victory over CF Montreal on Saturday night.

Becher got the start against Montreal after becoming the first Whitecap to sub in and score in his first two appearances in the previous two matches.

Brian White opened the scoring with a goal in the 38th minute on assists from Becher and Javain Brown.

Becher used passes from Ali Ahmed and Luis Martins to score in the 43rd minute and Julian Gressel found the net unassisted two minutes later to give the Whitecaps (1-2-3) a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Vancouver took a four-goal lead just three minutes into the second half on an unassisted score by Ahmed. Becher found the net for a second time — in the 59th minute — with assists from Brown and Pedro Vite to cap the scoring.

The Whitecaps outshot Montreal 29-3 and had a 9-0 advantage in shots on goal.

Yohei Takaoka did not have to make a save in earning the clean sheet for Vancouver. Jonathan Sirois saved four shots for Montreal (1-4-0).

Vancouver had played three straight 1-1 draws before routing Montreal. The LA Galaxy (2009) and Colorado Rapids (2015) are the only teams to tie 1-1 four straight times.

Montreal, which was idle last week, stays on the road to play the New England Revolution on Saturday. Vancouver remains home to host the Portland Timbers on Saturday.

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