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Sandy • Kevin Hartman looked at his left hand, where he almost expected the ball to be. Then he looked behind him, where the ball had ended up cradled against the net.

Andy Williams' kick into the box in the 47th minute was almost right at the FC Dallas goalkeeper and should have been a routine save. But as the ball hit Hartman's hands, it rolled off to the left and into the goal.

It was a devastating blow to FC Dallas, which ended up losing to Real Salt Lake 2-0. And Hartman took it as hard as anyone.

"We took one mishandled shot, and that comes on to my shoulders," he said. "Obviously I'm frustrated with the goal, but you do your best to move on and prepare and push through it."

The FC Dallas goalkeeper is one of the league's best, allowing less than a goal per game and presiding over one of the top MLS defenses. He has the most saves of any keeper in MLS history, as well as the most wins.

His hands, often so sure, are a part of what has made FC Dallas so hot in recent weeks. He's claimed eight shutouts in his last 11 league games, and only one goal in his three matches leading into Saturday's date with Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium.

But everyone falters, and Hartman's letdown came at the most inopportune time.

"I had guys who were in the box kind of anticipating me losing it," Hartman said. "I just thought about it too much and it made me knuckle and it got behind me."

The play put FC Dallas in a hole and forced them to play desperate in the final minutes. They missed their best opportunity when Chris Wingert swept in to knock away a shot by Jackson in the 85th minute. And at the end of the game, the Hoops were caught on the counter attack by Fabián Espíndola, who coolly faked out a pair of Dallas defenders before nailing a last-second shot past Hartman.

But it was easy for FC to brush off that score. Hartman's botched save that put Dallas in that position was almost a head-scratcher, coach Schellas Hyndman said.

"It was so easy I think he took his eyes off it, to be honest with you," he said. "It's like in football when you see a receiver get the ball right to him, and he drops it because he's looking somewhere else."

When Dallas hosts RSL Tuesday at Pizza Hut Park, Hartman will have a chance at redemption. FC Dallas has stymied Salt Lake there, accruing a 9-0-1 record against them.

Hartman hopes his team will continue its dominance — and that he'll find his hands again.

"You can just try and do your best to persevere, and I think that's all you can really do," he said. —

Hot streak fizzles

• FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman botches a save on a free kick by Andy Williams, putting his team in a 1-0 hole in the 47th minute.

• The play belied Hartman's recent hot streak, with eight shutouts in his past 11 league games.