FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Saer Sène scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season for the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, but the home side had to settle for a 2-2 draw as Houston Dynamo midfielder Luiz Camargo came off the bench to score the game-tying goal in the 87th minute.

Sène twice gave the Revolution (4-6-1, 13 pts.) the lead with a 26th-minute penalty kick and a fantastic individual effort in the 57th minute, but the Dynamo (3-3-4, 13 pts.) hit back on both occasions through Will Bruin (32nd minute) and Camargo.

The result means New England and Houston remain level on points in the middle of the crowded Eastern Conference.

Clyde Simms (L ankle tendonitis) missed his first game of the season for the Revs and was replaced in central midfield by Ryan Guy, who returned to the lineup after missing four games with tightness in his right calf.

Guy’s central midfield partner, Shalrie Joseph, had the game’s first quality scoring chance in the 21st minute. Sène danced around Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell to create space near the left touchline and crossed for Joseph, whose downward header was handled by Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall.

Hall was beaten five minutes later, however, as Sène converted from the penalty spot to give the Revs a 1-0 lead. Sène picked himself up and dusted himself off after Brad Davis barged into his back as he shaped to shoot, burying the penalty himself with a low finish to the right as Hall went the wrong way.

New England’s lead lasted just six minutes as the visitors pulled even in the 32nd minute, punishing the Revs from a dead-ball situation. Davis made amends for his earlier misstep by providing the assist on the goal, whipping an in-swinging free kick to the back post from the right channel. Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis charged off his line to punch, but Bruin arrived first and buried a close-range header.

Sène restored the Revolution’s advantage in the 57th minute, scoring his second of the game and sixth of the season to push the Revs into a 2-1 lead. Blake Brettschneider pestered Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron into a turnover near midfield and Sène pounced, bursting down the left side and drilling a shot inside the near post from a tight angle.

The Dynamo rarely threatened in the following half-hour and the Revs looked likely to claim all three points, but one lapse in the 87th minute allowed Houston to snatch a late equalizer. Brian Ching opened up the Revolution’s backline with a delicate chip into the left side of the box, where second-half substitute Camargo used his first touch to blister a shot past Reis at the near post.

After back-to-back home games the Revs return to the road next weekend when they’ll visit Eastern Conference rival D.C. United on Saturday, May 26. Kickoff from RFK Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.

New England Revolution vs. Houston Dynamo
May 19, 2012 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
New England Revolution 2, Houston Dynamo 2

Scoring Summary:

NE: Saer Sène (penalty kick) 26

HOU: Will Bruin (Brad Davis) 32

NE: Saer Sène (unassisted) 57

HOU: Luiz Camargo (Brian Ching) 87

New England Revolution: Matt Reis, Chris Tierney, A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy, Kevin Alston, Lee Nguyen, Ryan Guy, Shalrie Joseph ©, Benny Feilhaber (Fernando Cardenas 77), Saer Sène (Diego Fagundez 74), Blake Brettschneider

Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Darrius Barnes, John Lozano, Jose Moreno, Kelyn Rowe

STATS: Shots 7, Shots on Target 6, Corner Kicks 3, Saves 1, Fouls 13, Offsides 3, Passes Completed (percentage) 340 (66.2%), Possession 38.2%

Houston Dynamo: Tally Hall, Jermaine Taylor, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe, Calen Carr (Macoumba Kandji 76), Adam Moffat, Je-Vaughn Watson (Luiz Camargo 66), Brad Davis (Colin Clark 70), Will Bruin, Brian Ching ©

Substitutes Not Used: Tyler Deric, , Alex Dixon, Andre Hainault, Nathan Sturgis

STATS: Shots 8, Shots on Target 3, Corner Kicks 2, Saves 4, Fouls 18, Offsides 0, Passes Completed (percentage) 557 (82.6%), Possession 61.8%

* Note that all statistics are unofficial

Misconduct Summary:

HOU: Carr (caution) 63

HOU: Boswell (caution) 64

NE: Feilhaber (caution) 65

Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Assistant Referees: Fabio Tovar, Marlene Duffy

Fourth Official: Jose Carlos Rivero
Weather: Clear and 74 degrees

Attendance: 16,414

Team Records

New England Revolution: 4-6-1 (13 pts.)

Houston Dynamo 3-3-4 (13 pts.)

GAME NOTES:
Team information vs. Houston Dynamo

· Tonight’s match was the 13th regular-season meeting between New England and Houston, with the Revs now holding a 6-2-5 record against the Dynamo … the Revolution is 6-3-7 against the Dynamo in all competitions, including the MLS Cup Playoffs and SuperLiga

· The two teams will play once more in the regular season as the Revs will make their first trip to the new BBVA Compass Stadium on Sept. 29

· The Revs hold a 2-1-4 lead in matches played in Foxborough against Houston … New England’s first - and only – loss to Houston came in Foxborough on May 3, 2009, a 2-0 defeat

· In all but one meeting – the 2-1 Revs win in Houston on Oct. 10, 2010 - the winning team has recorded a shutout or the match has ended in a draw … overall, there have been seven shutouts in 13 regular-season meetings

· Through five games at home this season, the Revs hold a record of 3-1-1 (10 points), tying the 2009 record (3-1-1, 10 pts.) for the second-best start at home through five games in club history … in 2005, the Revs went 4-0-1 (13 points) in their first five games at Gillette Stadium

· The draw was the club’s first draw this season through 11 games … last year the Revs compiled four draws in the first 11 games

· The draw sealed an undefeated month of May at home (2-0-1), marking the first time since 2008 (2-0-1) that the Revs went undefeated at home in a one-month period with at least three home games

· Tonight marked the second consecutive game against Houston in which the Revs have allowed the game-tying goal in the 85th minute or later … on Aug. 17, 2011, Bobby Boswell scored the equalizer in the 90th minute before Luiz Carmargo scored in the 87th minute tonight

· The 87th-minute goal for Houston marked the first time this season that the Revs have surrendered the game-tying goal after the 75th minute

· Ryan Guy made his first professional start at central midfielder today … the only two positions Guy has yet to play are goalkeeper and center back … the start today was his fifth of the year and first since April 14 against D.C. after missing four games with right calf tightness

· Saer Sène scored his fifth goal of the season on a 26th-minute penalty kick … the penalty kick attempt and goal were the first for Sène

· Tonight’s penalty kick was the first of the season for the Revolution and first since Rajko Lekic’s penalty kick goal on Sept. 7, 2011, at Philadelphia

· Sène’s second goal of the night – and sixth goal of the season – came in the 57th minute, off of a turnover at midfield

· Sène’s brace marked the second consecutive game that a Revolution player has scored two goals in a game, following Lee Nguyen’s two-goal performance on May 12 … the last time this happened was 2010 when Kenny Mansally’s two goals on April 3 at D.C. were followed by Zack Schilawski’s hat trick on April 10 against Toronto

· After suffering four attacking shutouts in the first seven games of the season, the Revs have scored at least one goal in each of the last four games dating back to May 2 against Colorado … the Revs have now averaged 2.25 goals per game in the month of May (nine goals, four games)

· Clyde Simms missed his first game of the season with left ankle tendonitis

· Matt Reis is now 5-2-5 in his regular-season career against the Dynamo, leading the Revs to points in 10 of 12 contests

· The Revolution celebrated “Salute to Heroes” night at Gillette Stadium, as the Revolution Charitable Foundation partnered with the U.S.O. to distribute more than 3,500 tickets to service members