DARREN Mattocks scored his fourth goal in US Major League Soccer Wednesday night as the Vancouver Whitecaps clipped Colorado Rapids, 1-0, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver.

The Jamaican rookie netted in the 43rd minute for the Whitecaps to climb into third place in the Western Conference with 29 points, seven adrift of fifth-placed Rapids.

Mattocks capitalised on Drew Moor’s blunder two minutes before the break from a Jordan Harvey low-cross.

Moor’s poor clearance deflected straight to the feet of the Jamaican, who joined Frenchman Sébastien Le Toux as the leading scorer for the Whitecaps with four goals.

Mattocks is also the leading scorer among Jamaicans half-way in the MLS season, ahead of Colorado Rapids’ Omar Cummings and Toronto FC’s Ryan Johnson (three goals apiece); San Jose Earthquakes’ Khari Stephenson (two goals), and Rapids’ Tyrone Marshall, and New York Red Bull’s Dane Richards (one each).

Mattocks has started in five of eight matches this season, logging a total of 428 minutes and picking up five yellow cards — two in one game.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Amani Walker netted in the 81st minute in Minnesota Stars’ 4-0 drubbing of Puerto Rico Islanders at the National Sports Center Stadium in Blaine, Minnesota.

Walker, 21, scored his fourth goal from eight matches in the North American Soccer League. He trails fellow Jamaican Nicholas Addlery of Puerto Rico Islanders, who has five from 11 matches.

The other Jamaican scoring Wednesday was 27-year-old Akeem Priestley of Dayton Dutch Lions in the ULS Pro season, the third-division soccer in the United States.

Priestley was on target in the 86th, his second goal from 12 matches.