London Woodberry scored his first career goal while Kelyn Rowe tallied the winner, as the New England Revolution edged the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday.
Woodberry, who joined the Revolution prior to the 2015 season, headed through a Lee Nguyen free kick in the 31st minute. Nicolás Mezquida converted a 41st minute free strike to put the match back on level terms not long after, but Rowe's 55th minute volley off a feed from Teal Bunbury snuck into the back of the net to give the guests the lead for good.
The win allowed the Revolution get back to .500 with a 4-4-7 (19 points) mark, while the Whitecaps dropped to 4-7-1 (13 points). Saturday's victory also marked the Revolution's first road win of the season.
What it meant: It might be premature to say at this juncture, but Saturday's win could indicate that there will be no summertime slump this year. New England has won three of its last four, and the third was perhaps its most impressive to date. The Revolution entered Saturday's game coming off a cross-country flight that followed a mid-week Open Cup match in North Carolina, circumstances that don't often result in a squad finding the form to net its first road win of the season. But that's exactly what New England did at BC Place. The goals from Woodberry and Rowe were the result of exquisite execution, and while the Revolution were fortunate to survive some late defensive mistakes, they were nevertheless able to see the game out. No doubt the Revs' mettle will be tested with two more road games before they return home on July 6, but Saturday's win may be an indication that they'll be able to avoid another summertime slide.
Stat of the match: Saturday's win was the first for the Revolution in Vancouver since the Whitecaps entered the league in 2011. Prior to Saturday, New England was 0-1-1 in British Columbia.
Farrell gets second straight start at right back: Veteran defender Andrew Farrell was slotted on the right for the second straight match, a sign that the former center back may see the bulk of his minutes at fullback going forward. The former first-round pick was drafted as a right back before he was moved to center back prior to the 2015 season -- an experiment that's produced mixed results for the Revolution defense.
Knighton earns rare start between the sticks: Fresh off his U.S. Open Cup shutout on Wednesday, Revolution reserve keeper Brad Knighton earned his first start of the season -- and against his former Vancouver teammates, no less. Saturday's start was the first for Knighton since July 25, 2015.
Three former Whitecaps in Revs XI: Knighton wasn't the only ex-Whitecap in the Revolution lineup on Saturday. Midfielders Daigo Kobayashi and Nguyen were both members of the Vancouver organization prior to joining New England. Meanwhile, Revolution assistant coach Tom Soehn served as Vancouver's director of soccer operations and interim coach in 2011 and 2012.
Next up: The Revolution will play the second of three straight road games against DC United on Saturday, June 25 at RFK Stadium. In their last matchup, DC staked a 3-0 triumph over the Revolution on Apr. 23.