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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." Josh Rosen Womens Jersey . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Ryan Fitzpatrick Jersey . The D-Backs came into being in 1998 and appear destined to finish second in the AL West after the Tsunami that is the Los Angeles Dodgers swept over them. I thought it might be interesting to see what the D-backs have done over their 16 years compared to what the Blue Jays have done over their past 16 campaigns. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Chri...olphins-jersey/. - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury. Durham Smythe Jersey . -- Hee Young Park topped the leaderboard at 8 under Friday in the suspended second round of the Kingsmill Championship. Michael Deiter Womens Jersey . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock.HOCHFILZEN, Austria - Norwegian biathlete Johannes Thingnes Boe dominated a mens World Cup 10-kilometre sprint on Friday for his sixth career win, while Kaisa Makarainen of Finland took the womens race.Boe had the fastest time arriving at the prone shooting, hit all targets and remained ahead of the field for the rest of the race.The Norwegian, who was third in the overall rankings last season, finished in 24 minutes, 34.9 seconds to beat Simon Schempp and Andreas Birnbacher. The two Germans, who also shot cleanly, trailed Boe by 14.3 and 17.9 seconds, respectively.It was a perfect race with good conditions on the track, Boe said. Last week was very bad for me so I was very focused and I wanted to be perfect today.Martin Fourcade of France, who won two races at the season-opening meet in Ostersund, Sweden, also avoided mistakes at the shooting range but came 27.8 behind in seventh. Olympic sprint champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway finished 40th after three missed targets.Calgarys Nathan Smith was the top Canadian in 44th.Makarainen overcame the aaftermath of an illness to win the womens 7.dddddddddddd5-kilometre sprint for her second victory of the season. The defending overall champion won the pursuit in Ostersund last weekend and has been on the podium in all four races this season.I was pretty depressed yesterday as training was not so good, Makarainen said. My legs felt so bad on the last loop. I think by basic level is good enough so even if I feel tired and bad I can still go pretty fast.Makarainen missed one target before finishing in 20:55.6 to beat Karin Oberhofer of Italy, who shot cleanly, by 10.4 seconds. Oberhofer led after the final shooting but couldnt match Makarainens pace on the track. The Italian earned her first career podium finish.Tiril Eckhoff of Norway, who won the season-opening sprint a week ago, also missed once and came 29.9 seconds behind in third.Three-time Olympic champion Darya Domracheva of Belarus had two penalties and finished eighth.Rosanna Crawford of Canmore, Alta., was the top Canadian in 34th.The relay events were scheduled for Saturday. ' ' '