New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps was full of praise goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth and the rest of the Revolution rearguard after his side clinched a 0-0 draw at Portland on Thursday night.
Shuttleworth drew top billing after he made nine saves to preserve a point from the frenetic affair at JELD-WEN Field. Yet only a few of the saves were of the highlight-reel variety, with most being fairly straightforward as the in-form goalkeeper moved himself into the proper spots to deal with the persistent threats posted by the Timbers, according to Heaps.
OPTA Chalkboard: See the stats from Shuttleworth's impressive night
“Bobby did a nice job,” Heaps told reporters after the game. “It’s the second game in a row he’s played really well. It’s not an easy environment. I think he’s reading the game well. It wasn’t like he was making spectacular saves, but he was making saves because of being in the right position, which is better than a spectacular save for me.”
Shuttleworth shared the praise with his revamped defense after the Revs managed to hold the Timbers scoreless despite conceding much of the possession and more than a few opportunities. The 25-year-old praised his makeshift backline – including Darrius Barnes and Bilal Duckett (recalled on Tuesday from a loan spell at USL PRO side Rochester Rhinos) at the fullback positions – and the group as a whole for maintaining the shape required to prevent the Timbers from breaking through.
CHECK OUT THE FULL LINEUPS AND BOX SCORE
“I think we were super-organized in the back tonight: we all kept our lines, kept our shape and were able to keep a clean sheet,” Shuttleworth said. “I think it shows the depth we have on this team. Jay [Heaps] has done a great job of creating the competition and creating depth. You can see guys are coming in and doing really well. We aren’t missing a beat.”
The current number one and his teammates will hope their recent uptick in from continues when Real Salt Lake (Wednesday) and New York (Saturday) visit Gillette Stadium next week.
“I think this is a big stretch for us,” Shuttleworth said. “I think we need to go home and take care of business and make it difficult for teams to play us at Gillette.”
