The New England Revolution extended their losing streak to eight straight on Saturday night as they were downed 2-1 by the Columbus Crew.
The most recent loss largely followed the plot of the previous seven as the Revs conceded a first half goal in the 43rd minute. The goal came after Darrius Barnes, who replaced an injured Chris Tierney in the 21st minute, was whistled for a foul on Ethan Finlay just outside the box. Federico Higuain delivered a picturesque free kick to give the visitors the lead.
“One of the main things we tried to stay away from was fouling near the 18 yard box,” head coach Jay Heaps explained. “We knew that Higuain can hit that well.”
The goal was troubling for the Revs as have only won once this season when their opponent scores first. Furthermore, the team had produced some good chances during the first half, including a powerful strike offered by Teal Bunbury in the 11th minute and a clever 39th minute run by Diego Fagundez that resulted in a shot that went just wide of the net.
The Revs entered the locker room with a 1-0 deficit.
Hope did arrive early in the second half as A.J. Soares nodded in Kelyn Rowe’s corner kick to equalize in the 50th minute. After seeing goalkeeper Steve Clark gobble up the previous nine corner kicks, Rowe went with an out-swinger in the team’s 10th attempt. Soares rose above to score his second goal of the season.
“That goal from A.J. was big-time,” Bunbury said. “It lifted all of our spirits and I think in our mind we thought, hey we’re going to win this game now, no question.”
Both teams would have opportunities to break the deadlock.
The Revolution’s best chance came in the 63rd minute after Soares made a crucial tackle at midfield. The ball would move quickly up the field before arriving to Lee Nguyen, who would force a save from Clark. The rebound nearly feel to Rowe, but Clark recovered well enough to neutralize the danger.
Soon after, the Revs would rely on goal line clearances from Nguyen and Fagundez to keep the game level. Nguyen denied Chad Barson while Fagundez blocked shots from Tony Tchani and Bernardo Anor.
No Revolution player would be able to stop Finlay in the 84th minute as he was able to receive a through ball from Justin Meram to score the game-winner.
The Revolution return to action on Wednesday with a home meeting against the Colorado Rapids. The team will then travel to Red Bull Arena on Saturday to cap their busy summer schedule.
(Image courtesy of Kari Heistad)
