The Houston Dynamo have had a flair for the dramatic this season and Wednesday night was no different.
For the second time this year, the Dynamo scored a late goal to pull out a result against the New England Revolution. Hunter Freeman struck in the 86th minute goal April 17 to give Houston a home win over the Revolution. On Wednesday, it was his defensive teammate Bobby Boswell who did the honors.
Heading into the dying minutes trailing 1-0 at Gillette Stadium, Boswell — whose 83rd-minute goal against the Chicago Fire on April 23 saved a road point — was in the proverbial right place at the right time to tap in a rebound from a Carlo Costly header in the 90th minute to pull out a much-needed result on the road.
“The guys were pumped because we put a lot into that game,” Dominic Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com by phone after the match. “It took us a while to get the ball across the line, but sometimes, playing against a stingy defense and good goalkeeper, you need a scramble to win, and that’s what we got late.”
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Boswell’s goal at the end was big in more ways than one. The center back mishit a clearance in the fourth minute that contributed to former Dynamo defender Ryan Cochrane putting New England up 1-0. He was also unlucky minutes later when his header was cleared off the line by Kevin Alston.
Houston responded to the early deficit by taking the game to New England, dominating possession and pumping balls into the box. But the combination of former All-Star goalkeeper Matt Reis’ spectacular seven-save performance and the Revolution bunkering in made scoring a goal a tough proposition.
With the Dynamo fighting for chances and Reis looking unbeatable, Boswell & Co. pounced when they saw their opportunity on one of the few shots that Reis failed to control and sent the club home with a well-deserved point.
“[Bobby] was unlucky in the first half not to get a goal and his determination was good and it paid off for us and him at the end,” Kinnear said.
Boswell’s late game heroics marked the sixth time this year the Dynamo have pulled out a result in the final 10 minutes. The draw pushes Houston ahead of New York in the standings and continues their playoff push.
That’s something they couldn’t have said if Boswell hadn’t put himself in the right place at the right time.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.
