The Rapids will host the Columbus Crew in a wild- card playoff match 8 p.m. Thursday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as they begin defense of the MLS Cup.
The Rapids secured the home match by virtue of a 2-1 comeback win on Saturday over the Vancouver Whitecaps in British Columbia.
In last year’s playoffs, Colorado outlasted Columbus on penalty kicks after tying 2-2 on aggregate scoring in the home-and-home series. This season, the Crew defeated the Rapids 4-1 in Columbus. The Rapids beat the Crew 2-0 in Commerce City.
CSU volleyball back in top 25.
The Colorado State volleyball team returned to the AVCA top-25 coaches poll, at No. 25. A loss to Wyoming on Oct. 8 resulted in the Rams falling out of the top 25 for the first time in nearly two years. Since the loss, CSU hasn’t given up a set, sweeping its last four opponents.
• Metro State’s volleyball team moved up one spot to No. 10 in this week’s AVCA NCAA Division II top-25 poll. It is the Roadrunners’ second stint in the top 10 this season.
Goucher joins Oregon elite club.
Kara Goucher has joined the Oregon Track Club Elite group coached by Jerry Schumacher, joining Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan and young distance star Lisa Koll just weeks after parting with former coach Alberto Salazar.
Goucher, a former University of Colorado distance standout, announced the move in her personal blog, talking about how difficult it was to leave Salazar’s Oregon Project, but that she’s “blissfully full of hope” after only her second workout with her new partners.
Denver Post staff and wire services
