<div id="subtitle">Real Salt Lake eliminates defending champion Columbus from MLS playoffs</div><div><p>Javier Morales and Robbie Findley scored first-half goals and Real Salt Lake advanced to its second straight conference final with a 3-2 victory over the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew on Thursday night.</p><p>The victory, combined with a 1-0 home win Saturday, gave Salt Lake a 4-2 aggregate win in the two-game series. After setting an MLS record with a 24-game home unbeaten streak, Columbus finished the season with three straight losses at home.</p><p>Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the reigning MLS MVP, gave the Crew a 1-0 lead with an improbable tally off a 56-yard free kick in the 19th minute. The ball bounced just outside the box and passed inches beyond the reach of diving goalkeeper Nick Rimando.</p><p>Schelotto scored again in the 35th minute. He intercepted a pass from Salt Lake defender Robbie Russell and redirected the ball to teammate Emmanuel Ekpo.</p><p>Ekpo returned the pass and Schelotto wrong-footed defender Jamison Olave before curling a low, hard shot from the edge of the penalty area inside the right post.</p><p>That gave the Crew a 2-1 cumulative lead, but it was short-lived. In the 37th minute, Morales scored an opportunistic goal following questionable defending in front of Columbus goalkeeper William Hesmer.</p><p>Moments before the end of the first half, Crew captain Frankie Hejduk was whistled for hauling down Salt Lake's Fabian Espindola inside the penalty area. Findley drove a penalty kick into the left side of the net as Hesmer dove to the right.</p><p>Andy Williams scored in the 74th minute to Salt Lake additional breathing room.</p><p>In the 85th minute, the Crew's Robbie Rogers sent a pass into the penalty area that second-half substitute Jason Garey headed toward the goal. Rimando made a leaping, fingertip save for one of his eight on the night.</p><p>In 2008, Salt Lake played in the Western Conference final, but will compete this year in the Eastern finals due to MLS playoff seedings.</p><p>___</p><p>Story from: STATS LLC, http://www.stats.com</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=62778982&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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