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Sandy • Jamison Olave's redemption tour continued Saturday night with a game-winning goal even a forward would have been proud to call his own: a right-footed blast that tucked just inside the post and crossbar to topple the league's top team.

"It's great to see a big giant scoring goals like that, especially in the top corner," midfielder Luke Mulholland said after RSL's 1-0 win over first-place Dallas.

But the goal itself was just icing on the cake for the 35-year-old center back, who in recent weeks has looked more like the Olave of old as he's helped anchor RSL's defense.

"All the attention has been on [regular starters] Aaron Maund and Justen Glad this year and I've said at times to not overlook Olave because he's got so much experience," Mulholland said. "I think he's handled his role this year great. He's always been available for us when we need him and he's stepped up in vital games."

The Colombian defender had gone from beloved in his first stint with RSL to maligned in his second. But Olave has looked reinvigorated in recent weeks back in head coach Jeff Cassar's starting rotation.

"I know I wasn't playing much in the past, but I didn't stop working because I knew the opportunities were around the corner because that's soccer," Olave said Saturday night. "That's how it is. I kept working and that's the result I got."

Now the question becomes: Can he do it full-time?

With Maund's status now uncertain because of a foot injury, Olave may have to take on an even bigger role during RSL's playoff push.

Cassar is optimistic.

"He's stepping up," the coach said. "He's really been stepping up for quite some time, and it was even before he was actually getting on the field. He had been doing extremely well in training sessions and obviously with Aaron going down and everything, you have an experienced player stepping up and realizing he's got to take control of the situation."

Olave, who in his mid-30s has dealt with his share of injury, seems to regularly scare his coach in training. "He gives me a heart attack just about every day. It seems like something's going on with something," Cassar said.

But Olave has logged only 1,032 minutes this season and should be reasonably fresh if RSL needs him for more regular duty going forward. The team's schedule is also favorable: only once in the next three months will RSL play on less than a week's rest.

"I think his body is great right now," Cassar said. "He really takes care of himself. … His character, his mental toughness is unbelievable."

The coach said he can also help manage Olave's minutes, especially with defender Chris Schuler working his way back into form.

"If these guys need an extra day off, it's not the end of the world," Cassar said. "… But he hasn't taken one day off. He's taken care of his body."

afalk@sltrib.com Twitter: @aaronfalk —

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