Kansas City 1 - 1 Columbus

Kansas City 1-1 Columbus: Lenhart salvages tie

Updated: November 1, 2008, 6:00 AM UK

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Steven Lenhart scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, salvaging a 1-1 tie for the Columbus Crew against the Kansas City Wizards in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday night.

Under the home-and-home, total-goals format, the winner of next week's game in Columbus will advance to the conference title game. A draw would send the series to a 30-minute mini-game, with a penalty shootout following if the tie remains unbroken.

Davy Arnaud's diving header in the 53rd minute put the Wizards up 1-0, but Lenhart -- an 83rd-minute substitute -- made the most of a deflection at the edge of Kansas City's penalty area.

Danny O'Rourke's shot went off Wizards defender Tyson Wahl and bounced to Jaime Moreno, who chested it to Lenhart for the equalizer from 22 yards.

The Wizards had to play a man down after the 75th minute. Midfielder Herculez Gomez was issued a straight red card for serious foul play, for a hard tackle on Gino Padula. He will be suspended for the next game.

Arnaud, who has a goal in three straight games, started his scoring sequence with a long ball that Claudio Lopez ran down in the corner. Lopez sent a left-footed cross into the area, and Arnaud split Padula and Brad Evans and put the ball in the back of the net.

Columbus, which won the Supporters Shield with the best regular-season record, has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2002.

The Wizards, who came on late to finish fourth in the East, made it to the Western Conference finals as a wild card in 2007.