Revs Extend Win Streak To Five Games
Saturday, May 24, 2014
With the win the Revolution move their winning streak to five games, completing the first five-game winning streak since 2005 when head coach Jay Heaps was playing for the Revolution. The win also extends the Revs unbeaten streak to seven games, with the Revs winning six of those seven.
The first half of the match was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams with neither one gaining a clear advantage. The first shot on target did not come from either team until the 28th minute when Eddie Johnson put a header on target which was easily saved by Bobby Shuttleworth.
The Revs got their first shot on target in the 39th minute when rookie forward Patrick Mullins put a shot on target to the left post which was turned away by D.C. United keeper, Bill Hamid. The first half ended tied 0-0.
When the second half got under way, it was D.C. who got the first chance as Eddie Johnson once again put one across the face of Shuttleworth but it curled wide of the net.
The turning point in the 2nd half came in the 53rd minute and came in two forms: a player and the weather. As Kelyn Rowe was entering the game as a substitute for Daigo Kobayashi, the skies above Gillette Stadium opened as a downpour started. With the combined speed of the turf and fresh legs of Rowe the Revs were able to get the first tally of the match.
The goal came off the foot of Patrick Mullins, giving him goals in each of the last four games. The goal came in the 55th minute following a phenomenal run into the box by Diego Fagundez. Fagundez was knocked off the ball by multiple D.C. United defenders but continued to fight for the ball. This led to a scrum in which Mullins escaped with the ball. Mullins stepped through the defense and buried a shot off his left foot and past Hamid for the 1-0 lead.
D.C. was able to answer the Revs, which had seemed nearly impossible at Gillette Stadium this year. In the 74th minute Fabian Espindola, who came in as a sub in the 60th minute, broke the Revs 432-minute shutout streak at Gillette Stadium and tied the game 1-1. Espindola connected off of a cross by Cristian which moved the Revs defense out of its shape. This allowed Espindola to sneak a shot past Shuttleworth.
The Revs were not done though. Just four minutes later, in the 77th minute the Revs got the go-ahead and game-winning goal off the foot of Diego Fagundez. Fagundez put in an easy touch off a cross from Teal Bunbury, but it was the lead up to the goal that was the most impressive part of the play. It started with Lee Nguyen trapped by two D.C. defenders close to the sideline. Nguyen somehow snuck the ball through the defenders and got it in deep where Bunbury was able to cross it to Fagundez. The goal was Fagundez's fourth goal of the year and marked a goal in his third straight game after being held scoreless in the first nine games of the season.
D.C. was in full attack mode throughout the rest of the game and in the five minutes of stoppage time, but were denied by an unlikely hero. In the 89th minute, Steve Neumann made a terrific save on a clear scoring chance by D.C., clearing the ball off the line and preserving the win for the Revolution.
With the win, the Revolution extend their lead atop the Eastern Conference to five points. They now have 23 points and a record of 7-3-2. In the win the Revolution got back captain Jose Goncalves after he missed five games with an injury. They also got back Bobby Shuttleworth after he missed last week's game with a concussion. The Revs also moved to 7-0-1 when second-year midfielder Scott Caldwell was used as a substitute, as he entered the game in the 81st minute.
The Revs will look to make their winning streak six games next week when he travels to Stade Saputo in Montreal to take on the Impact.
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