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MetroStars Tie Club Record With Fifth Consecutive Win

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (MAY 16, 2001) - Alex Comas scored the lone goal of the game, knocking home a penalty kick in the 11th minute, to give the MetroStars a 1-0 win at Giants Stadium tonight.

The win lifts the MetroStars to an MLS-best 6-1-1, and ties a club record of five consecutive wins. Tim Howard notched his second consecutive shutout and extended his streak to 218 minutes without surrendering a goal.

The MetroStars scored their earliest goal this season when Imad Baba failed to clear a cross within his own box. Clint Mathis got control of the loose ball and dribbled through the left side of the box looking for a left-footed shot opportunity on Brown. However, Brown came off his line and tripped Mathis, resulting in the immediate penalty kick call by referee Sergio Vega.

Comas calmly scored the goal, his second of the season, and improved to 4-4 lifetime in career penalty kick attempts as a MetroStar.

Both goalkeepers were busy all evening, with Brown and Howard making eight saves each in a game where the MetroStars out-shot the Rapids, 18-16.

MetroStars defender Mike Petke tied Tony Meola for second place in team history with 90 games played. Petke, 25, is expected to tie the team record, held by Miles Joseph (91), this weekend.

The MetroStars will look to set the club record for consecutive wins when they travel to California in search of their sixth straight, facing the San Jose Earthquakes at Spartan Stadium on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. ET (TV: Telemundo; Radio: Radio Unica 1660 AM).

The team now plays nine of their next 10 MLS games on the road. The MetroStars finished their six-game home stand, the longest in team history, with a 5-1-0 mark.

Scoring Summary: MET--Comas (PK) 11

COLORADO RAPIDS--Adin Brown, Chris Martinez, Lance Key, Robin Fraser (Scott Vermillion 86), Chris Dawes, Steven Herdsman, Ross Paule (Junior Agogo 62), Imad Baba, Jason Moore, John Spencer, Paul Bravo TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Baba 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Baba 2, Paule 2); FOULS: 22 (Dawes 4, Martinez 4); OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: Brown 8; CAUTIONS: Brown 11, Baba 25, Dawes 56, Vermillion 92+; EJECTIONS: none.

METROSTARS--Tim Howard, Mike Petke, Steve Jolley, Orlando Perez, Steve Shak, Pedro Alvarez (Mark Semioli 70), Richie Williams, Tab Ramos (Martin Klinger 79), Mark Chung, Clint Mathis, Alex Comas (Rodrigo Faria 46). TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Mathis 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Faria 2, Ramos 2); FOULS: 20 (Petke 4); OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: Howard 8; CAUTIONS: Alvarez 59; EJECTIONS: none.

Referee: Sergio Vega; Referee's Assistants: George Vergara, Bill Dittmar. Attendance: 10,081; Weather: Cloudy, 58.

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