This time there would be no blown leads. There would be no 15 minutes of shaky soccer that would cost Crew SC critical points in the standings.

This time there would be no blown leads. There would be no 15 minutes of shaky soccer that would cost Crew SC critical points in the standings.



The Crew built a two-goal lead Saturday night and made it stand with its most complete effort in months to end a 10-game winless streak. Ethan Finlay and Federico Higuain scored goals and a strong defensive effort frustrated former Crew striker Kei Kamara in a 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution in Foxborough, Massachusetts.



The triumph was the club�s first since May 28 and at least temporarily pulled Columbus within four points of the final playoff spot. It also marked the team�s first road win of the season after starting 0-7-3 away from Mapfre Stadium.



�I thought it was excellent,� coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter told reporters. �I thought that was one of our best defensive performances. What I saw was guys dedicated to every single play, guys giving extra effort and sticking up for each other, battling for each other. That goes a long way.�



The Crew (4-8-11) did a masterful job against Kamara most of the night after he dominated his old club in the first meeting, a 3-1 New England win. He scored a goal and factored in the other two in the July 9 match. But the only Kamara on the scoresheet Saturday was Crew striker Ola Kamara, who assisted on Higuain�s goal.



After squandering so many second-half leads during the 0-4-6 slide, the Crew played a disciplined game and displayed few nervy stretches. Goalkeeper Steve Clark preserved the shutout � Columbus� fifth of the season � with a stunning point-blank stop on Juan Agudelo in the 83rd minute. Although he saw little work early, Clark finished with five saves, including several beauties as the Revolution made a late push.



Berhalter emphasized scoring first against a reeling opponent that�s yielded a Major League Soccer-high 46 goals. He got his wish in the eighth minute as Finlay tallied his third goal in two games.



The Crew outshot the Revolution 9-4 in the first half and starved Kei Kamara of service. He failed to register a shot and rarely had a touch in a position of danger.



Hector Jimenez, a right-footed defender playing his off side, did a nice job of denying service into the box by blocking and deflecting crosses. When the Revolution was able to loft balls in Kei Kamara�s direction, Michael Parkhurst, Nicolai Naess, Harrison Afful and Wil Trapp provided stout coverage. Afful knocked the towering striker to the turf twice.



Kamara �s best opportunity came in the 74th minute as he got behind Naess and headed a shot on goal that was cleared off the line by Parkhurst.



The visitors took a 2-0 lead as Ola Kamara forced a turnover along the left sideline in the 49th minute and found Higuain, who scored from about 15 yards out. It was Higuain�s fourth goal of the season and first point since returning from hernia surgery that kept him out for six games from June 18 to July 23.



�It was a very good feeling,� Ola Kamara said. �Hopefully, the guys get a lot of energy from it.�

treed@dispatch.com



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