Agudelo Leads Revs To 2-0 Win Over Rapids

Saturday, April 04, 2015

Matt LaPan, Go Local Sports Reporter

Lee Nguyen scored his first goal of 2015, Saturday

The New England Revolution had not won a match in Colorado since the 2002 season. That meant they had never won in Dick’s Sporting Goods Pack, which was built in 2007. They ended that streak on Saturday as they collected their second-consecutive win with a 2-0 win over the Rapids.

The Revolution got action started early, registering their first attempt on net in the first two minutes of the game. The attempt was a cross from Chris Tierney that found its way to Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

The Rapids got their first attempt of the match off a corner kick in the 14th minute. The corner was won by Gabriel Torres after a great effort to free the ball, despite both Chris Tierney and Jose Goncalves defending. The corner came in to Jared Watts, but his header attempt went wide of the net.

Agudelo's Amazing Finish

The Revs continued to attack and found the net in the 18th minute from Juan Agudelo. The play started when Kelyn Rowe used a shoulder bump to get the ball free from the Rapids. He turned and delivered a long service to Agudelo. Agudelo made a terrific first touch to get the ball down, then flicked it up over the keeper and into the net. It was the first goal of the season for Agudelo and the first assist for Rowe, giving the Revs a 1-0 lead.

Colorado had another set piece chance in the 23rd minute after Juan Ramirez won a free kick in the attacking third. Dillon Powers took the free kick and put it right on Bobby Shuttleworth, who made the easy save.

The Revs had another good chance in the 40th minute off of a corner kick. They were awarded the corner following a Lee Nguyen shot from outside the box. Chris Tierney delivered the corner in and Agudelo got a header on it from about 7 yards out, but the header bounced over the crossbar.

Shuttleworth Saves The Day

Colorado came back just two minutes later and had a terrific chance, but Bobby Shuttleworth came away with a terrific save. The play was made on a nice entry pass from Juan Ramirez to Dillon Powers. Powers got behind the center of the Revs defense and was one-on-one with Shuttleworth, but Shuttleworth made an amazing save with his left hand to push the attempt just over the net and preserve the 1-0 lead.

The Rapids came right back and nearly found the equalizer in stoppage time of the 1st half. Marc Burch delivered a great cross into the box where Torres was waiting to put a strong header on frame. He got his head on the ball but powered it high of an open net, ending the threat and the half.

Although the Revolution controlled a majority of the half, the teams each had six shots. The Rapids held a 2-1 advantage in shots on target, but the Revs had the 1-0 lead. Colorado also controlled the possession battle with a 53.3%-46.7% advantage over New England.

The Revolution got the first chance of the 2nd half, and it was on a rare shot attempt from Scott Caldwell. Caldwell put the shot on frame from just outside the box, which was deflected on its way in. The deflection forced Irwin to make the save.

Once again, Colorado looked for the quick answer just minutes later. This time it was Michael Harrington crossing the ball in where Marcelo Sarvas was waiting for a header. It was Shuttleworth, once again, making a terrific save to keep Colorado off the board.

Nguyen Nets Penalty Kick

The Revs used their speed to counter, getting Charlie Davies the ball ahead of the pack. Davies was pulled down in the box by Watts and was awarded a penalty kick. The penalty kick was the first of the season for the Revolution and was buried by Lee Nguyen. It was Nguyen’s first goal of the season and it gave the Revolution a 2-0 lead.

Following the Revs goal, Colorado coach Pablo Mastroeni made a tactical change by bringing in Dominique Badji. Badji made an immediate impact as his first touch was a shot that deflected off Scott Caldwell and hit the far post. Following the shot, the Revs appeared to foul the Rapids in the box, but in a controversial call the assistant referee called the Rapids offsides. The call took a clear penalty kick chance away from the Rapids and drew the ire of Mastroeni. His anger led to his ejection.

The Rapids got confidence from the play, however, rattling off the next two shots against the Revs in the 63rd and 56th minutes.

They continued to attack as Badji made another great play on the ball and got a shot off in the 72nd minute. His shot came off a great spin move away from Andrew Farrell, but it went wide to the near side. Just moments later, Juan Ramirez put a shot off the outside of the post from a close-angle shot.

Colorado continued to press as they got a flurry of shots and header attempts with Bobby Shuttleworth scrambling in the 78th minute. They had a flurry of corner kicks in the time, but could not find the net.

Despite the best efforts from Colorado, the Revs preserved the clean sheet and took the 2-0 win. Bobby Shuttleworth had five saves in the match and the Revs collected goals from Agudelo and Nguyen. They now have 7 points with a 2-2-1 record. They will be back at Gillette Stadium next Saturday when they host the Columbus Crew at 3 PM.

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Agudelo Leads Revs To 2-0 Win Over Rapids

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