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Kirovski helps Rapids stop losing streak

Oct 8, 2007 - 5:10 AM COMMERCE CITY, Colorado (Ticker) -- Jovan Kirovski converted a penalty kick in the 44th minute as the shorthanded Colorado Rapids stopped a five-game winless streak with a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC on Sunday.

With the win, Colorado (8-12-8) kept their faint postseason hopes alive as they moved to within four points of Chicago (9-10-9) for the eighth and final playoff spot with two games remaining.

"We are still in it and we are still battling," Colorado midfielder Pablo Mastroeni said. "We need to go to Chivas and get a result. We have a good team and have great players. We are fighters. We are not going to go down easy."

Mehdi Ballouchy was sent off in the 36th minute for a foul on Carl Robinson that prevented a breakaway for Toronto. Colorado played with 10 players until Mastroeni was sent off in the 88th minute when the Rapids had to survive the rest of the game with nine men.

"It seems like we keep repeating playing with 10 players," Colorado coach Fernando Clavijo said. "We dig ourselves a hole but we managed to get the three points that we were looking for."

The lone goal of the game was set up after a foul by Toronto defender Chris Pozniak on Facundo Erpen in the box off of a corner kick.

Kirovski, who is now 4-for-4 in penalty kick chances this season, blasted a right-foot shot into the upper left corner just past the outstretched hand of Toronto goal keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos.

Toronto (6-16-6), which had zero shots in the first half, suffered their ninth loss in the team's last 12 games.

Colorado goal keeper Bouna Coundoul made three saves for his ninth clean sheet of the season.

"Against 10 men, we were winning 90 percent of the balls," Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston said. "We were not getting the ball wide enough, but we created a couple of chances we should have scored off of. Our two strikers were very poor tonight and when your strikers are off form, you don't score goals."