PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Greg Vanney scored in the eighth minute of overtime to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids Wednesday night -- the first Galaxy triumph after eight overtime ties this season.

Vanney's sixth goal of the season came after a goal-mouth scramble with just 2½ minutes remaining in the extended game, played before an announced crowd of 5,187 at the Rose Bowl.

Rapids defender Chris Martinez tried to clear the ball, but Vanney intercepted the clearance and fired a left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard penalty area.

"If you're not in the middle of the play, you've got to get yourself in position to make something happen," Vanney said. "I struck it well, but the most important thing was that my first touch set me up in a good position to hit the shot."

The Galaxy (12-7-8) remain four points behind first-place Kansas City in Major League Soccer's Western Division.

The Rapids (11-13-3) suffered their third loss in four games, missing their best chance to score in the 41st minute. Junior Agogo beat defender Simon Elliott after exchanging passes with Henry Zambrano, but goalkeeper Matt Reis lunged to his right to deflect Agogo's 12-yard shot.

Reis made four saves in earning his first MLS shutout.

Agogo, the Rapids' leading scorer, left the game in the 54th minute with a severely sprained ankle. Colorado coach Glenn Myernick said Agogo probably would miss the team's next game against New York/New Jersey.

"I was very proud of them to take the game that deep into overtime," Myernick said of his players' effort. "But we had to spend too much time and too much energy defending because we didn't take good care of the ball."

Both teams had key players missing due to World Cup qualifying conflicts. Galaxy forward Luis Hernandez entered the game for the final 53 minutes after playing 78 minutes Tuesday for Mexico in a 2-0 victory over Canada.