Salsa’s Littman Blanks Vancouver; Paulinho Scores Two

VANCOUVER —  Star midfielder Paulinho scored two goals for the second consecutive game to lead the Salsa to a 2-0 victory over Vancouver Friday night at Swangard Stadium.

Paulinho, last season’s league MVP and scoring champion, scored his first goal off a deflection and the second on a penalty kick. He also scored both goals in the team’s 2-1 victory over Vancouver Saturday night. The shutout was goalkeeper Mike Littman’s second in three starts.

The Salsa (7-5), which has won three in a row, moved into second place in the American Professional Soccer League with 62 points. The Salsa meets first-place Seattle (79 points) tonight at 7:35 at the Tacoma Dome.

Vancouver dropped to 5-7.