Brian White scores four goals as Whitecaps best Austin

VANCOUVER — Striker Brian White made history, becoming the first Vancouver Whitecap to score four goals in a Major League Soccer match in a 5-1 win over Austin FC Saturday afternoon.

Winger Emmanuel Sabbi also had a goal and an assist for Vancouver, which won for the sixth time in eight MLS matches.

Winger Daniel Rios added an assist and had a penalty kick stopped in the 72nd minute.

Midfielder Dani Pereira scored for Austin in the 90th minute.

Austin came into the match having allowed just three goals in their first seven games. 

A crowd of 17,931 at BC Place Stadium watched White score in the 13th, 38th, 59th and 83rd minutes.

His first goal came after right back Edier Ocampo sent a long pass into the box. Rios flicked the ball to White who scored with a right-footed shot.

White made it 2-0 after Sabbi threaded a pretty ball between a couple of Austin defenders. White scored with a left-footed shot from the side of the box.

Sabbi’s goal came in the 42nd minute when he banged home a shot off a Pedro Vite corner kick.

White completed his hat trick during a wild scramble. Centre back Ranko Veselinovic took a shot that hit the post. The rebound rolled to White who blasted a shot that hit Austin defender Brendan Hines-Ike in the face and went into the goal.

White scored again in the 77th minute but the goal was called off on an off-side call.

His fourth goal came when defender Ali Ahmed fed him a pass and he scored with a right footed shot from the side of the box.

The 24-year-old from Pittsburgh has scored five goals during the MLS season and eight across all competitions this season.

Jason Jordan scored four goals for the Whitecaps when they played in the USL in a game against Charlotte in May 2005.

The Whitecaps (6-1-1) lead the MLS Western Conference with 19 points, four ahead of Minnesota which finished in a 0-0 draw with Toronto earlier in the day.

The loss left Austin (4-3-1) with 13 points and ended a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1). Austin had not allowed a goal in its previous two games.

The Whitecaps were still riding the high of a 2-2 draw with LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM Wednesday night that put them into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. 

Vancouver will host Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the first leg of the two-game aggregate series on April 24.

There was a slight delay early in the first half when Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver picked up a mouse near centerfield and carried it to the sideline for officials to deal with.

NOTES: The Whitecaps played their fifth game in 15 days, including trips to Toronto and Mexico City. … Vancouver’s next MLS game is on the road against St. Louis City SC next Saturday. .. The Whitecaps have got goals from 10 different players in league play. ..Not dressed for Vancouver was defenders Sam Adekuge (knee), striker Ryan Gault (knee), midfielder Jayden Nelson (hamstring) and defender Mathias Laborda (hamstring).