Rookie forward Steven Lenhart scored the tying goal in second-half stoppage time as the Columbus Crew clawed back for a 1-1 draw with a 10-man Kansas City Wizards on Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in the opener of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.
Lenhart capitalized off a deflected long-range shot by defender Danny O'Rourke. The ball bounced off Wizards defender Tyson Wahl, then was played by forward Alejandro Moreno off his chest. Lenhart was in the right spot to loop a volley past Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman inside the left-hand post.
The Wizards had taken the lead in the 53rd minute. Wizards midfielder Davy Arnaud passed the ball to the left flank to forward Claudio Lopez, then Arnaud raced up the center of the field to meet a searing cross from Lopez. Arnaud split Crew defender Gino Padula and midfielder Brad Evans and dove forward to head the ball high into the goal.
The Wizards were then left a man short in the 75th when Herculez Gomez was sent off after a foul on Gino Padula. Gomez went to the ground under a challenge as he tried to dribble up the sideline, then as Padula took the ball heading the other way, Gomez made contact with a sliding tackle. Referee Jorge Gonzalez did not hesitate in issuing the red card.
The game was an end-to-end affair and each team had their chances in the opening 45 minutes.
In the fifth minute, Lopez stormed up the left flank and, while looking to perhaps send a cross to Abe Thompson, instead tried to sneak a left-footed shot inside the near post. Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer played the angle perfectly, blanketing the shot.
Crew midfielder Eddie Gaven set up midfielder Robbie Rogers in the middle of the box in the ninth minute. But Rogers' one-time shot across his body was off the mark, sending the ball out of play.
In the 20th minute, Lopez was again sprung down the left side. With Thompson going near post as Lopez came in square from the left, Lopez opted for Gomez at the far post, but his lunging shot was high over the goal.
Then in the 29th minute, Arnaud fed the ball to Lopez at the top of the Crew box. Lopez turned and found Souter running toward the left endline. Arnaud endeavored to got on the end of Souter's cross but was thwarted by Hesmer, who knocked the ball off Arnaud for a goal kick.
Crew defender Frankie Hejduk unloaded a dangerous shot in the 32nd minute. Hartman leaped and stretched out diagonally, his right hand swatting away the shot.
Then in the 41st minute, Guillermo Barros Schelotto was freed with a long ball over the K.C. defense. Facing Hartman eye-to-eye, Schelotto tried to volley a chip over the on-rushing 'keeper, but went long and over the bar with the attempt.
After Arnaud put the Wizards into the lead, the Crew did their best to pull level. They had their most menacing chance of the match when Schelotto banged a long-range shot off the crossbar in the 62nd minute.
Then three minutes later they nearly duplicated the shot when defender Frankie Hejduk ripped a 25-yard rocket that Hartman jumped high to tip. The ball then grazed the crossbar and went over the goal.
After Gomez was sent off, the Wizards tried to hold on, until Lenhart's strike gave the Crew the tying goal. The series now head to Crew Stadium, where the Crew won a league-high 11 games at home this season. Should the second leg end tied, a 30-minute extra time period will follow, then a penalty kick shootout, if necessary.
Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
