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Sandy • They took turns passing around the trophy that stayed away too long for their liking. A year without hoisting the Rocky Mountain Cup is indeed too long for Real Salt Lake.

So once the 2-1 come-from-behind win against the rival Colorado Rapids was final Friday night, RSL players met at the center of the Rio Tinto Stadium pitch, huddled, danced and took turns gripping the trophy in their hands.

Leading the pack was captain Kyle Beckerman, who strolled toward the east side of Rio Tinto casually holding the Rocky Mountain Cup low and to his side. Before it was time to pass it on to the fans inside the crowd, Beckerman handed it over to rookie Omar Holness, who eventually handed it to forward Joao Plata.

For the eighth time in the last 10 years, RSL won the regular-season series against the Rapids, bringing the trophy back to the comforts of the Wasatch Front. It certainly sweetened the victory that also brought RSL level with the Rapids in the Western Conference standings.

With seven regular-season matches left, RSL (12-8-7, 43 points) is now even with Colorado, which for most of the season has been atop or near the top of both the conference and league.

"We had a big opportunity there for us," Beckerman said. "To go and achieve the goal of getting three points and getting the Rocky Mountain Cup was a big move in the right direction for us heading for the playoffs."

Quickly put under it at home, conceding five minutes into the match to Colorado's Shkelzen Gashi, RSL eased its way back into it on the efforts of its star center forward. Yura Movsisyan scored the equalizing goal in the first half and later a spectacular game-winner early in the second half to cap what was an eventful night for the 29-year-old.

Movsisyan unleashed a left-footed shot from 22 yards away that curled away from the outstretched arms of Colorado goalkeeper Tim Howard and into the top corner of the net. Upon receiving a pass by Plata, Movsisyan took a slight touch and while surrounded by three defenders, the RSL forward caught Colorado by surprise, bending his shot in to put RSL up 2-1 in the 48th minute.

"It was just one of those things," Movsisyan said. "You've just got to go for it."

"Yura being Yura," RSL coach Jeff Cassar added.

Movsisyan had his crack at RSL's first hat trick since 2014 after drawing a penalty kick in the 57th minute, but he dragged his penalty attempt wide of the goal. Movsisyan had two more shots within the next 10 minutes, but one shot bounced off the post and another was tipped wide on a one-handed save by Howard.

He first beat Howard at the near post in the 38th minute once RSL left back Demar Phillips played a simple low cross to an unmarked Movsisyan to pull RSL even, 1-1.

But Howard, in his first-ever Rocky Mountain Cup match, kept his team in it. The 37-year-old former Everton goalkeeper stood tall in goal when Javier Morales had RSL's latest opportunity to ice the match from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute.

Morales took the penalty moments after Burrito Martinez was fouled by Colorado defender Eric Miller in the box. Without his patented stutter-step approach, Morales struck the ball to his right, but as the ball seem destined to be RSL's third goal of the night, Howard dived to his left and made the save.

The two missed penalties would not come back to haunt RSL. Instead, three more points were secured in Sandy. Within the last week, the top two teams in the West — FC Dallas and Colorado — waltzed into Rio Tinto, but left empty-handed.

And RSL, now very much in the thick of the Western Conference and Supporter's Shield race, once again remained unbeaten at home (8-0-5).

"No team is going to come into this building and try to push us around or beat us," Movsisyan said. "This is a lot of fun. This is our house."

Twitter: @chriskamrani