Charlie Davies made history on Saturday when he became the first player in Revolution history to score multiple goals in a postseason match. Davies collected goals in the 34th and 78th minutes to bookend the Revolution’s scoring in their 4-2 victory over the Columbus Crew.
The most ironic part about Davies’ offensive surge? It came on the heels of a lackluster week of training.
“I kind of was on Charlie this week, it wasn’t his best week of training,” head coach Jay Heaps revealed. “I thought it was kind of interesting because he said that to me, sometimes when he doesn’t train his best he usually performs on the weekend and that is what he did.”
Davies first tally came after Teal Bunbury won a free kick on the right side of the field. As Kelyn Rowe approached the ball, Davies began a darting run that went unnoticed by the Crew defense. Davies made the most of the opportunity by beating goalkeeper Steve Clark with a diving header.
The goal was a crucial one as Justin Mearam almost put the home side ahead minutes earlier. The midfielder, however, would be denied by the woodwork. Davies’ strike would put the Revolution in a comfortable position, especially since away goals serve as the first tiebreaker in the playoffs this year.
Davies would grab a second in the 78th minute when he barreled towards Clark and hit a long-range blast that kissed the post and went into the net. The goal, which was assisted by Scott Caldwell, was motivated by revenge.
“I’m not going to lie I never forgot the shot that [Clark] saved the last time that we played here,” Davies explained. “I got the space and knew that I could have taken a couple more steps, but I felt that the timing was right and if you give me two chances, I’m going to put one away.”
Davies, who only had three goals in 18 regular season appearances this year, was happy with his performance on Saturday. The striker also recognized, however, that the series isn’t over yet.
“It is definitely something to be very happy about, with my performance today,” Davies said. “But again, there is another leg to this series so we have to be focused for the home game.”
(image courtesy of Kari Heistad)
