After a scoreless and strong attacking first half, the Colorado Rapids (15-7-10, 55 points) fell 1-0 to top-seeded New England Revolution (22-4-7, 73 points) at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Rapids made a commanding offensive mark in the first half, recording seven shots and three corners before the interval whistle. Cole Bassett nearly gave Colorado a lead in the 34th minute when he sent a shot rocketing to the far post upper corner, but Revs’ goalkeeper Matt Turner was there to block the shot and keep the game scoreless. New England was able to gain the upper hand in the 74th minute when Tajon Buchanan’s near post drive found its way into the back of the net.
"In the end, they were a little bit more clinical and that's what led to the result," head coach Robin Fraser said after the result. "But lots of positive performances and again, some lessons learned. Never too late to learn lessons even this late in the year and things that'll certainly help us down the stretch."
William Yarbrough made six saves on the night to tally his season record to 99. The goalkeeper continues to rank second in the league in clean sheets with 12.
Wednesday night’s matchup also marked veteran Drew Moor’s 200th appearance with the Rapids. He is the second player to reach the milestone (Pablo Mastroeni, 225). By also starting the match, he tallied 370 starts in his MLS career and is the sixth outfield player in league history to reach the milestone.
Following the match, Colorado clinched a home playoff match and top four seed as Sporting KC defeated LA Galaxy. Despite the loss to New England, the Rapids will take the home-field advantage at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park through at least the first round of the playoffs. Tickets can be found here.
Colorado looks ahead to taking on Houston Dynamo FC on the road on Sunday, October 31st at PNC Stadium for the Rapids last regular season road match. Kickoff is set for 3:00 PM.
