Football
2018 Major League Soccer, Regular Season
NE 
2
FT
 ORL
0
Reuters 6y

Cristian Penilla, Diego Fagundez lead Revolution past Orlando City

Cristian Penilla scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season and added an assist as the New England Revolution broke a long home drought with a 2-0 victory over Orlando City on Saturday night.

Diego Fagundez also scored for the Revs, who won at home for the first time since June 30 and for only the second time overall in their last 15 games.

However, New England (9-12-11, 38 points) was eliminated from postseason contention earlier Saturday after D.C. United defeated FC Dallas 1-0. The Revs can finish no better than seventh and are more likely to stay eighth after sitting in fifth place before their slide.

Orlando (7-20-4, 25 points) went scoreless for a fifth consecutive match as its season-long winless streak stretched to 12 games. It has only one win in its last 22 MLS matches.

The Lions have three matches remaining but are guaranteed to finish no better than ninth in their worst MLS season by points since launching as an expansion franchise in 2015.

Penilla gave New England the lead in the 51st minute after an Orlando defender cleared a corner kick.

Penilla took down the ball just outside the penalty area, then guided a low, right-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Adam Grinwis and into the bottom right corner. The strike put the Ecuadorian one ahead of Teal Bunbury atop the Revs' goal-scoring chart.

Four minutes later, Penilla played the role of creator, combining on a give-and-go with Brandon Bye to get down the right flank. He then sprayed in a cross to Fagundez, who volleyed it out of the air for his eighth goal of the season, his most since 2013.

The visitors came closest to pulling one goal back only three minutes after Fagundez made it 2-0. But Brad Knighton (three saves) dove and at full stretch pushed Tony Rocha's effort from just beyond the 18-yard box around the right post.

Despite seeing two goals and five substitutions, referee David Gantar allotted for only 30 seconds of second-half stoppage time.

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