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Wizards salvage tie on late goal by Conrad

Aug 24, 2008 - 3:24 AM By Patrick Madden PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Ticker) -- A goal by Jimmy Conrad in extra time earned the Kansas City Wizards a 1-1 tie against FC Dallas on Saturday.

Conrad tallied his fifth goal, tapping in a crossing pass from Josh Wolff to draw the Wizards even.

"I thought Wolfie made a nice little cut behind the defense, and the guy that was on me had to slide over to Wolfie, so I tried just to get in front of goal," Conrad said. "He put it in a good spot. It was going to be a lot harder to miss than to make. I'll take those every week. I don't get those kind of goals very often."

The scenario was a reversal of the meeting between the teams last month, when the Wizards opened up an early lead only to wind up with a 1-1 tie after FC Dallas scored in the 91st minute.

"They did that to us in Dallas on July 4, so we're well aware of how that feels," Conrad said. "We owed them."

"I was shaking my head on the sideline," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. "I thought we put in a good performance, one where you think you should be winning the game, but you're not. The fact is, we found a way to get a point. It was a hard-fought point."

Andre Rocha's first goal of the season in the seventh minute, a right-footed laser from 35 yards out that eluded goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, gave Dallas a 1-0 advantage.

Rocha gathered in a through ball from midfielder Dax McCarty, dribbled through the midfield and unleashed his shot.

The draw cost FC Dallas (6-7-8) a chance to jump into second place in the Western Conference standings after Real Salt Lake lost at Columbus.

Dallas, which has lost once since June 21, played a man down for the game's final 28 minutes after Pablo Ricchetti picked up his second yellow card in the 62nd minute.

"Obviously, going into extra time, something got away from us," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "It was nice to get a point on the road, playing nearly 30 minutes with a man down. I'm glad we got a point."

The tie kept intact a six-match home unbeaten streak for the Wizards (6-7-8), who remained tied for last place in the Eastern Conference after FC Toronto drew with New England.