It came down to a tight race between two understudies standing in for their team’s starting goalkeepers.

In the end, Zac MacMath edged Jeff Attinella for the Week 9 MLS Save of the Week award, the Colorado Rapids ‘keeper polling at 46 percent compared to 39 percent for his Portland Timbers counterpart.

MacMath won his second consecutive SOTW prize for a leaping parry of an Antonio Nocerino strike in Orlando City SC’s 2-0 win over the Rapids on Saturday, as he continued to stand tall in the suspension-enforced absence of Tim Howard.

Attinella – who stepped in for the injured Jake Gleeson in Portland’s 2-2 draw at FC Dallas – comes in second for his athletic denial of a Kellyn Acosta free kick, followed by D.C. United’s Bill Hamid, Houston Dynamo netminder Joe Willis and Brian Rowe’s save for the LA Galaxy vs. the Philadelphia Union.

Despite MacMath’s sterling play, the Rapids – who have lost five of their last six games after their win over New England in the season opener – are expected to restore Howard to the starting lineup when they host Vancouver at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday night (10 pm ET | TSN1/TSN4 in Canada, MLS LIVE in US).

Watch MacMath's winning save and the other nominees from Week 9 here.