Late penalty gives Crew draw with United

Stoppage-time spot kick cancels out early Kovalenko goal

MLSnet.com Staff

United settled for a draw after a late Columbus penalty kick. (Tony Quinn/MLS/WireImage.com)

The Columbus Crew got a stoppage-time penalty kick to end a 420-minute goal-scoring drought and steal a point against D.C. United as the teams ended with a 1-1 draw Saturday night at RFK Stadium in Washington.

In the game's dying moments it looked as if Dema Kovalenko's fourth-minute goal would hold up and the Crew's attacking futility would continue, but United defender Brandon Prideaux gave the visitors a gift when he pulled down Frankie Hejduk in the penalty as the clock ticked past the 90-minute mark.

The result may not be what United deserved, as the hosts controlled the play throughout and held the Crew without a shot on goal until the final quarter-hour. Though the Crew are still winless on the season, Ross Paule's conversion from the penalty spot gave them a second consecutive draw as they scored for the first time since the season opener on April 3.

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United got the early goal they had been searching for in recent contests. After just four minutes, Jaime Moreno collected the ball in midfield and played an early ball to the right flank for Ben Olsen, who whipped in a cross to the far post where Dema Kovalenko escaped his marker and headed the ball firmly between Crew 'keeper Jon Busch and the post.

United nearly doubled the lead in the 14th minute as Earnie Stewart nearly nodded home an in-swinging service from Bobby Convey, but Busch tipped it over the bar. But after 26 minutes Convey was forced off after suffering an apparent hamstring injury.

Just before the break United had another golden opportunity as Kovalenko ran onto a ball through the middle of the Crew defense, but he couldn't slip the ball past Busch from close range.

As the second half wore on, neither side was able to create much as the pace slowed considerably. Once again it was United that created a terrific opportunity as center back Ryan Nelsen spearheaded a counterattack in the 76th minute before playing a square ball to Moreno, but the shot from the former Bolivian international crashed off the goalpost.

Two minutes later, the Crew got their first shot on goal on the night and the only one from the run of play, and it came from a corner. Hejduk's clear header though went straight to D.C. 'keeper Nick Rimando.

Just as it looked like the Crew's hopes would peter out, however, Prideaux's foul and the resulting penalty redeemed them. As Hejduk raced past the United defender he reached out his arm and pulled Hejduk down from behind. Referee Terry Vaughn called for the penalty kick immediately, and Paule drove the ball into the right side of the goal to level the score and steal a share of the points.

Next week, D.C. United (1-2-3) remain at home to play the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Crew (0-3-2) head back to Columbus to face off against the New England Revolution. The Crew will be celebrating the fifth anniversary of Crew Stadium in a game televised nationally on ESPN2 (4 p.m. ET).

MLSNet.com Man of the Match: Dema Kovalenko (D.C. United)

Scoring Summary:
DC -- Dema Kovalenko 2 (Ben Olsen 1, Jaime Moreno 3) 4
CLB -- Ross Paule 1 (penalty kick) 91+

Columbus Crew -- Jon Busch, Steven Herdsman, Robin Fraser, Chad Marshall, Frankie Hejduk, Ross Paule, Simon Elliott, Kyle Martino (Manny Lagos 57), Eric Denton, Jeff Cunningham (Edson Buddle 67), Erick Scott (Duncan Oughton 89).

Substitutes Not Used: Matt Jordan, Chris Wingert.

TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Frankie Hejduk 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Frankie Hejduk 1, Ross Paule 1); FOULS: 15 (Jeff Cunningham 3); OFFSIDES: 2 (Erick Scott 2); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Simon Elliott 2); SAVES: 5 (Jon Busch 5)

D.C. United -- Nick Rimando, Bryan Namoff, Ryan Nelsen, Brandon Prideaux, Earnie Stewart, Brian Carroll, Dema Kovalenko, Ben Olsen, Bobby Convey (Joshua Gros 27), Freddy Adu (Alecko Eskandarian 60), Jaime Moreno.

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Ara, Ronald Cerritos, Troy Perkins, Mike Petke, Eliseo Quintanilla, David Stokes, Doug Warren.

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Dema Kovalenko 2); FOULS: 17 (Brandon Prideaux 4); OFFSIDES: 5 (Dema Kovalenko 2); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Earnie Stewart 2); SAVES: 1 (Nick Rimando 1)

Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Joshua Gros (caution; Reckless Foul) 63
DC -- Ryan Nelsen (caution; Reckless Foul) 72
DC -- Brandon Prideaux (caution; Reckless Foul) 90
DC -- Earnie Stewart (caution; Dissent) 91+
CLB -- Robin Fraser (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 94+

Referee: Terry Vaughn
Referee's Assistants: -Chris Strickland; Jose Corro
4th Official: Andrew Chapin
Attendance: 18,376
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Clear-and-67-degrees

All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial