First half flurry leads Revs to victory

Club earns first ever win CommunityAmerica Ballpark

Kenny Mansally (29) celebrates in the corner with Adam Christman after scoring for the Revs.  (Pribyl/Getty Images)

Sainey Nyassi scored his second goal of the season to break an early deadlock and Kenny Mansally added the third as the Revolution sent the Wizards to their first defeat of the season after two victories.

Nyassi and Mansally were two of three 19-year-olds in the Revolution lineup, along with defender Amaechi Igwe. The Revolution were missing forward Taylor Twellman, midfielder Steve Ralston and defender Chris Albright all due to injury, while midfielder Jeff Larentowicz was out due to a suspension.

Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis made two stellar saves in the early going to deny the Wizards. Kurt Morsink, who started in the midfield for the first time this season, hit a powerful shot that Reis parried. Morsink got to the rebound, but Reis was able to knock it away as well.

The Revolution benefited from an own goal to open the scoring in the 12th minute. Revolution midfielder Mauricio Castro sent in a free kick from the right that was deflected by two players into the goal. Wizards defender Tyson Wahl hit the ball first and an extended Jack Jewsbury knocked the deflected shot into his own net.

But the Wizards pulled level in the 28th minute. On a give-and-go between midfielder Kurt Morsink and forward Scott Sealy, Morsink burst into the area, but was pulled down by Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph. The resulting penalty kick by Jewsbury found the low right corner of the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.

Another long run by the Revolution set up the tie-breaker in the 33rd minute. Midfielder Khano Smith swept his way to goal after a nice one-two with Mansally on the left, driving a low cross back to the far post for Nyassi. The youngster took full advantage of the crisp pass, pounding it past Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.

The Revolution continued to shine offensively, scoring again on a set piece. Castro again started the play by sending the free kick into the penalty area. Nyassi deflected the ball off a defender before Mansally put the loose ball to the back of the net for his first MLS goal.

The Revolution offense poured it on in the first half, and the defense consistently got in the way of Wizards shots. The final minutes saw the New England defense clear several Kansas City chances out of bounds.

Over the second 45 minutes, both teams continued to battle the less than ideal conditions, with driving rain and a steady wind.

The Revolution continued to play taut defense, taking the pressure off goalkeeper Reis. When the Wizards did find a seam in the back line, they misfired or Reis handled the shot fairly easily.

The best chance fell to Claudio Lopez, fed by Carlos Marinelli on the right wing. Lopez's shot was on the mark, but Reis made a lunging save in the 75th minute.

The Wizards play host to the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo on Saturday in their last home game for two months while the Revolution are at home at Gillette Stadium against the Colorado Rapids.

Thomas Foote is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.

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