FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Revs have relied on plenty of players this season, but maybe none more than goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.
For the second-straight week Shuttleworth came up big when it mattered most, making some key second-half saves to keep his club in a tight game that had huge playoff implications. His six-save effort allowed New England to sink the Columbus Crew 2-1, moving the Revs into second-place in the hotly contested Eastern Conference playoff race.
Shuttleworth set the tone early, diving to his left to make a fantastic save to deny Crew forward Aaron Schoenfeld from point blank range in the 18th minute.
“I think Bobby was great,” head coach Jay Heaps said after the match. “That first save really sprung us. He pulled one back, really. To make that save there gave us a boost.”
After the clubs traded first-half goals, Shuttleworth was put to the test in the second half, starting with a one-on-one opportunity against Ethan Finlay in the 52nd minute which he turned aside with some quick glove work.
In the 61st minute the Crew presented another dangerous chance when Federico Higuain went low with a shot in traffic, but Shuttleworth again handled the effort.
Two minutes later, a ball over the top found Schoenfeld in the box and his quick shot was met with an equally quick save and soon after the Revs went ahead to stay.
“Someone kind of scooped it over,” said Shuttleworth of the 63rd minute save. “I was going to come for the initial ball, but realized I wasn’t going to get there and kind of hit the brakes. At that point it was just staying tall and just trying to react to the ball.”
Saturday’s win propelled New England further up the Eastern Conference table, placing the Revs two points ahead of third-place Kansas City and four points behind first-place D.C. United in the crowded East. They’ll need more strong play from Shuttleworth to maintain that solid position, starting with next Saturday’s match at Montreal.
“You get in to this time of year where one or two saves are the difference between three points and no points,” Heaps said. “Tonight Bobby was in the right spot and really commanded the area.”
Craig Forde covers the New England Revolution for MLSsoccer.com.
