Denis

AUSTIN, Texas — Denis Bouanga had two goals and an assist on Sunday night to help LAFC beat Austin FC 4-1 and sweep the best-of-three series in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.

LAFC, which won Game 1 2-1, plays at second-seeded Vancouver in the one-game Western Conference semifinals.

Son Heung-min added a goal and an assist for No. 3 seed LAFC. Jeremy Ebobisse replaced Son in the 88th minute and capped the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.

Son, on the counter-attack, hesitated to freeze defender Ilie Sánchez at the top of the area and then exploded toward the left end line and blasted a shot from the corner of the six-yard box inside the back post to open the scoring in the 21st. About four minutes later, Son fed Bouanga for a finish — the 30-year-old’s 100th goal across all competitions for LAFC — into a wide-open net to make it 2-0.

Bouanga cut inside to evade defender Brendan Hines-Ike — who fell to the ground — and then flicked a shot into the net from the left center of the area in the 44th minute.

Bouanga is the only active player — and is one of just nine in history — with at least 10 career goals in the MLS Cup playoffs.

LAFC’s Hugo Lloris — who was second in MLS with 12 shutouts in the regular season — had three saves, including a diving stop on a penalty kick by Myrto Uzuni in the 39th minute after a hand ball in the area by Bouanga.

Ryan Porteous was shown a yellow card for a foul in the area and Dani Pereira converted from the spot in the sixth minute of stoppage time to make it 3-1 at halftime.

CJ Fodrey appeared to have cut sixth-seeded Austin’s deficit to 3-2 in the 71st minute but an offsides call nullified the would-be goal.

Denis Bouanga scored in his sixth consecutive match Sunday night, connecting in the 86th minute to send LAFC past Atlanta United 1-0 for its fifth consecutive victory.

Late in a frustrating evening for LAFC stars Son Heung-min and Bouanga, the French star pounced when a long cross into the box deflected to him off the head of Atlanta’s Enea Mihaj. In his 100th MLS match, Bouanga hammered home his 99th goal for LAFC.

LAFC has been turbocharged by Son’s arrival, losing just once in all competitions since July 25 while streaking up the standings and becoming the Western Conference’s highest-scoring team.

Bouanga and Son have scored LAFC’s last 18 goals, an MLS record, while combining to score 19 total goals in their nine matches together.

Son’s four-match goal-scoring streak was ended by 14th-place Atlanta’s cautious game plan, which included a five-man back line with 10 men frequently behind the ball. Atlanta attempted just three shots and nearly disappointed a packed stadium eager to watch exciting soccer, with a particularly huge turnout of Son fans during Korea’s Chuseok mid-autumn holiday.

LAFC is fourth in the Western Conference after this victory, but with two games in hand on first-place San Diego and third-place Minnesota.

LAFC nearly broke through in the 57th minute, but Atlanta goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert saved Mark Delgado’s point-blank shot with his trailing hand. Son then got a corner to an unmarked Ryan Hollingshead in the 64th minute, but the LAFC defender barely missed the net.

Atlanta got a rare chance in the 70th minute, but Bartosz Slisz hit the post.

Son and Bouanga are both headed off for international duty this week, and they’ll be absent when LAFC hosts Toronto on Wednesday. LAFC must make up postponed matches after earning a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.