VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Whitecaps forward Erik Hurtado was known more for his wild hair style than his ability on the pitch prior to Saturdays match against the Columbus Crew. That bleach blonde Mohawk still stands out, but not as much as his first goal in Major League Soccer -- a wonder strike in the first half that helped propel Vancouver to a 1-0 victory in Ohio. The fifth overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Hurtado has had to bide his time with the Whitecaps and he took full advantage of his first league start of the season. The 23-year-old controlled a long free kick in front of a Columbus defender on the right before cutting into the middle and unleashing a vicious left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that curled into the top corner. "You know how when you hit it on the sweet spot and you just know its going in? Thats what happened," Hurtado said after Mondays training session. "As soon as it left my foot, I was like Oh my God yes. Thank you God." The Fredericksburg, Va., native has played 22 MLS games since joining Vancouver last season, including five starts. But with the club parting ways with veteran striker Kenny Miller earlier this month, and with Darren Mattocks on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Hurtado is finally getting an opportunity under Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "Im maturing as a player. I matured over my rookie season last year a lot," he said. "(Robinson) having faith in me has been great. Hes going to give players opportunities if they deserve it. "Ive been working really hard on the field and I got my chance and took it." Hurtado stands out because of his raw talent, but also for a hairstyle that has earned him an array of nicknames from teammates, including Rufio from the movie "Hook" and Sonic the Hedgehog, in honour of the video game character. "I dont know if its like a Brazilian blowout mixed with a mohawk and some bleach -- got in a fight with a bottle of bleach or something like that," Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey said with a chuckle. "Thats his style and how he wants to express it and more power to him." Hurtado is fine with the jabs. "I dont know if Im trying to achieve anything," he said. "Im just trying to stay fresh." In his first season at the Whitecaps helm, Robinson couldnt care less what Hurtados hair looks like as long as he continues to develop and stays committed to his craft. "Hes an example to all the young players that things dont go your way sometimes," said Robinson. "Its important you put the work in and youll get your reward. It might not come in the next week or two weeks. It might come in the next two or three months, and thats what happened with Erik." Hurtados raw talent was evident to his teammates as soon as he arrived in Vancouver, but it was clear his game needed to be honed. "It was kind of like corralling a wild stallion, if you know what I mean," said Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. "Hes one of those guys (where) you can see his athletic ability. You can see his pace, his power, and its about corralling that and making sure that turns into good football. You can see it really start to take shape now, you can see him gaining in a little bit of confidence." Speaking of confidence, Hurtado and his teammates have loads of it heading into Wednesdays second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal against Toronto FC. Robinson fielded a "younger than young" squad in last weeks 2-1 away defeat in the first leg, but that result means that a 1-0 victory for Vancouver at B.C. Place Stadium would see the Whitecaps advance to the final on the away goals rule. DeMerit and many of Vancouvers other veterans watched from the sidelines as the baby-faced Whitecaps, including Hurtado, battled hard against Torontos star-studded roster. "Guys are contributing when asked upon. Guys are staying on the same page and as a collective were continuing to work on our brand of soccer," said DeMerit, who looks likely to sit out against Toronto again this week after playing Saturday in Columbus. "That needs to continue. That mentality needs to continue to shift and even get better." Apart from Hurtados recent success, former No. 1 pick Omar Salgado has impressed since rejoining the Whitecaps from the second-tier Charleston Battery last week. A big target who has been plagued by injuries in his young career, Salgado seems fitter and had a great chance late against Columbus that just bounced wide in the games dying minutes. "Im still a little disappointed I missed that but every striker in the world misses chances," said Salgado, the top choice in 2011. "Its something youve just got to get over and score against Toronto." Robinson said saying goodbye to Miller was difficult because of their personal friendship, but added that it was a move that had to be made with youngsters like Hurtado, Salgado and Kekuta Manneh clamouring for minutes. "It was the right decision for the club and me moving forward with this group of players that Ive got," said Robinson. "It will give the young players more opportunities to play and Ive said from Day 1 that I will give them more opportunities and I think you will see that more now." Air Max 270 Femme Pas Cher . Rosbergs time of 1 minute, 33.185 seconds at the Bahrain International Circuit was a quarter of a second faster than Hamilton, who had to abandon his final flying lap after running wide at the first corner. Air Max Plus Tn Pas Cher . Head coach Corey Chamblin announced on Monday that Avon Cobourne had been hired as the defending Grey Cup champions new running backs coach. http://www.chaussurepascherchine.fr/grossiste-air-max-90.html . A little more than one year after missing a last-second tip-in that would have given the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the 6-foot-8 forward scored on a layup with 7. Air Max 270 Grossiste .A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to improve the starting rotation ahead of next season and pitchers like Happ have a chance to show they belong as the disastrous 2013 campaign draws to a close. Air Max 90 Noir Pas Cher . "All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game.ORLANDO, Fla. -- At least one No. 5 stayed alive. Saint Louis, seeded fifth in the Midwest Region, worked five extra minutes Thursday night to avoid joining fellow No. 5s Cincinnati and Oklahoma in falling to 12th seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Billikens advanced by wiping out a late double-digit deficit and beating North Carolina State 83-80 in overtime. Rob Loe led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Atlantic-10 Conference player of the year Jordair Jett overcame a slow start to score 18, doing most of his damage while Saint Louis (27-6) was escaping a 59-45 hole over the last five minutes of regulation. "We didnt want to end on that kind of note. We didnt want to bow out of the tournament this early," Loe said. "Were here to win, and were here to put our mark on basketball." With better free throw shooting, Saint Louis would have won without having to work overtime against a team playing its second game in three nights. No. 12 seed NC State (22-14) beat Xavier in an opening round game in Dayton, Ohio, and fatigue could have been a factor in the Wolfpack collapsing late and missing 17 attempts from the foul line. "Its heartbreaking. ... Obviously were going to always feel like we let one slip away," NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. " Its hard to explain. Were a good foul shooting team." T.J. Warren scored 28 points for NC State, but the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year made just six of his 14 free throw attempts. He missed one that could have tied it in the final minute of OT. Warren fouled out with 27.9 seconds remaining, leaving Ralston Turner to try to rescue the Wolfpack with a desperation 3-point attempt that clanked off the rim as time expired. Saint Louis, which staarts five seniors, moves on to play either fourth-seeded Louisville or No.dddddddddddd 13 Manhattan Saturday. The Billikens did it despite trailing by as many as 16 and going 12 of 26 from the foul line. "They got us out of our game ... both defensively and offensively," Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. "Early in the game Rob hit a couple threes to get us off to a good start, but we started settling for jump shots I thought maybe the first eight minutes of the game, and then we just werent getting back (defensively)." Warren scored at least 20 for the 19th consecutive game. Turner, who finished with 16, hit a jumper and three free throws during a 19-7 spurt that helped the Wolfpack open their biggest lead. Saint Louis whittled away at its deficit, eventually tying the game at 70 on Jetts driving layup with 18.8 seconds remaining. It went to overtime when point guard Tyler Lewis was unable to get the ball to Warren and missed an open 17-foot jumper at the buzzer. Saint Louis played its best basketball of the season during a 19-game winning streak, however the Billikens stumbled down the stretch and had lost four of five. North Carolina State, by contrast, surged late to earn a spot in the NCAA field. The Billikens won their opening game in the tournament each of the past two seasons before losing matchups against Michigan State in 2012 and Oregon a year ago. "We missed a ton of free throws tonight, and we missed some other opportunities both defensively and offensively, but I thought during the process it was pretty good," Crews said. "We were getting what we wanted to get, but we werent cashing in on it. I cant salute these guys enough in terms of how they just stayed with it." ' ' '