FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (4-3-6, 18 pts.) defeated the Montreal Impact, 3-1, at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday evening behind goals from Henry Kessler, Gustavo Bou, and Diego Fagundez. Kessler opened his MLS account in first-half stoppage time, before Bou and Fagundez tripled the host’s lead on the other side of the break. Montreal’s Lassi Lappalainen pulled one back for the Impact in the 86th minute, snapping the Revolution’s bid for a second-consecutive clean sheet.
Kessler, selected by New England with the sixth-overall pick in January’s SuperDraft, scored his first career goal by collecting a rebound off a corner kick and slotting a right-footed shot inside the near post. The center back, who leads all MLS rookies in minutes played this season, has appeared in all 13 matches this season.
Bou doubled the Revolution’s lead with the eventual-game winning goal – his fourth tally of the season – in the 49th minute, when he beat Impact goalkeeper Clement Diop to the far post with a right-footed shot from the center of the box. New England’s third and final goal came from Fagundez, who entered the match as a substitute two minutes prior. His goal is the 53rd of his MLS and Revolution career, and his first of the season. Forward Tajon Buchanan was credited with his first assist of the season on Fagundez’s finish.
In net, goalkeeper Matt Turner made three saves, which moves him past Adin Brown and Jeff Causey and into sole possession of third-place among New England’s all-time saves leaders.
New England returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 27, when the club visits D.C. United at Audi Field. The match will kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and will air on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on WBIX 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA.
POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution 3, Montreal Impact 1
September 23, 2020 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revolution Earn First Home Win of 2020, 3-1, over Montreal Impact
- The Revolution (4-3-6, 18 pts.) snapped a two-match winless run on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium with a 3-1 win over Montreal Impact.
- It was the first time this season New England had won at home and the first victory for the club at Gillette Stadium since Sept. 29, 2019.
- Head Coach and Sporting Director Bruce Arena’s all-time record shifts to 214-127-103, which includes a 3-2-3 mark in eight matches against Montreal Impact.
Kessler Scores His First Professional Goal
- Rookie defender Henry Kessler scored his first professional goal in first-half stoppage time, slotting home a loose ball off a New England corner to give the Revolution a lead heading into halftime.
- Kessler, who scored only once during his three years at the University of Virginia, finished the contest with two shots, matching a season-high set on Aug. 25 at D.C. United.
- On the defensive end, Kessler pitched in with two clearances and five possessions gained.
Bou Adds Fourth Goal of the Season
- Forward Gustavo Bou netted his fourth goal of the season in the 49th minute and second against Montreal this season. The goal was his first since Aug. 29 vs. the New York Red Bulls.
- Bou leads MLS this season in shots this season with 48, including three on Wednesday.
Diego Fagundez Scores First Goal in Over a Year
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez opened his goal-scoring account for the season in the 65th minute – just two minutes after coming onto the field as a substitute – with an assist from Tajon Buchanan.
- The goal was the 53rd of Fagundez’s career and his first since July 27, 2019 at Gillette Stadium against Orlando City SC.
- Fagundez now has made 253 regular season appearances in his career, only one behind Matt Reis (254) for the second most games played in Revolution history.
Matt Turner Now Third in Career Saves in Club History
- Goalkeeper Matt Turner stopped three shots, moving his career saves total with New England to 209 and passing both Adin Brown and Jeff Causey for sole possession of third place among Revolution goalkeepers all-time. Turner now has 39 saves on the season, fourth most in MLS.
- The win was Turner’s 20th in MLS play, moving his regular season record to 20-17-21.
Revolution Make One Changes to Starting Lineup
- The Revolution made a single change to the Starting XI as Kelyn Rowe replaced Tommy McNamara in the New England midfield.
- Rowe returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 12 at Philadelphia.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referee: Ian McKay (AR1), Gjovalin Bori (AR2)
Fourth Official: Ted Unkel
Video Assistant Referee: Kevin Terry, Jr.
Weather: 75 degrees and clear
Attendance: N/A
Scoring Summary:
NE – Henry Kessler 1 (Unassisted) 45’+2
NE – Gustavo Bou 4 (Unassisted) 49’
NE – Diego Fagundez 1 (Tajon Buchanan 1) 65’
MTL – Lassi Lappalainen 2 (Unassisted) 86’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Andrew Farrell (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 41’
MTL – Luis Binks (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 53’
New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Brandon Bye, Andrew Farrell, Henry Kessler, Alexander Büttner (DeJuan Jones 30’); Scott Caldwell, Kelyn Rowe (Matt Polster 63’), Lee Nguyen (Diego Fagundez 63’); Teal Bunbury (Cristian Penilla 69’), Tajon Buchanan, Gustavo Bou (Adam Buksa 69’).
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Michael Mancienne, Antonio Delamea, Kekuta Manneh.
Montreal Impact: Clément Diop, Jukka Raitala ©, Luis Binks, Karifa Yao, Jorge Corrales (Maxi Urruti 64’), Zachary Brault-Guillard, Emmanuel Maciel, Victor Wanyama, Samuel Piette, Bojan (Amar Sejdic 79’), Orji Okwonkwo (Lassi Lappalainen 26’).
Substitutes Not Used: Evan Bush, Shamit Shome, Rod Fanni, Rudy Camacho, Joel Waterman, Clément Bayiha.
