STANANDLOU MARKETING/ADVERTISING

The referee wasn’t done blowing the final whistle, and teammates already were rushing across the field to shower Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad with big, sweaty, heartfelt, congratulatory hugs.

And with good reason. Brian Ching may have scored what proved to be the difference in the scoreboard in Sunday’s1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids. But it was Onstad who, with two monster saves, including one off a penalty kick, won the Dynamo their first match of the season before 12,708 at Robertson Stadium.

“Pat saved the day,” defender Geoff Cameron said.

That he did.

Just ask coach Dominic Kinnear, whose stomach surely turned upon seeing referee Mike Geiger blow his whistle and point to the penalty-kick spot after Cameron caught the leg of Conor Casey for a foul in the Dynamo box in the 83rd minute.

“I thought it was going to be another frustrating afternoon and postgame talk with (the media),” Kinnear said.

Casey, all 6-1, 170 pounds of him, had somehow managed to dribble his way past three Dynamo players before encountering Cameron 7 yards from goal.

It was Casey who asked to take the penalty kick, only to watch Onstad dive right to deny his shot with his left glove.

And Onstad wasn’t done adding to his highlight reel.

Off his save, the ball deflected up and off the crossbar, landing at the feet of a streaking Terry Cooke, whose point-blank shot from just outside the 6-yard box was again rejected in spectacular fashion by Onstad (three saves). (more…)