Columbus Crew SC extended its undefeated streak to six consecutive matches with a 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. The contest remained an even affair until the 85^th minute, when Lalas Abubakar headed in the game-winning goal.

The first half of the contest saw both teams combine for a total of 19 shots to no avail, as neither team was able to impose its will on the other in the opening 45 minutes. The clearest chance for the Black & Gold came in the ninth minute, when Federico Higuain fired a shot inside the box that went over the crossbar. At the other end, Zack Steffen was forced into making three saves, helping Crew SC reach halftime with the score tied at zero.

The second half saw Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter bring midfielders Cristian Martinez and Mike Grella into the mix. However, while the Black & Gold continued to hold the edge in possession, they were unable to penetrate New England’s defense.

Columbus broke through in the 85^th minute, when Federico Higuain delivered a corner kick to Abubakar's head and inside the far post.

With the win, the Black & Gold are now undefeated in their last six regular-season matches, a streak that started with a 2-2 home draw against the Revs. Over that span, Crew SC have posted a record of 4-0-2, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 9-3.

The result also meant that the Black & Gold secured their fourth consecutive shutout. Crew SC have gone 405 consecutive minutes without giving up a goal, a streak that is just nine minutes shy of the club record of 414 minutes from the 2011 MLS regular season.

Up next, the Black & Gold travel to take on Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday, May 27 at 6:00 p.m. ET in a nationally televised match.

LINEUPS

MATCH STATS

• Defender Lalas Abubakar scored his first goal of the 2018 MLS regular-season in tonight’s match against the New England Revolution – a game-winning goal in the 85^th minute. Abubakar’s goal came following a corner kick taken by midfielder Federico Higuain, which the defender then headed into the back of New England’s net. In addition to his goal, Abubakar finished the match with 60 touches, 51 passes, three shots (all on target) and one goal-scoring chance created. Abubakar has made nine regular-season appearances (all starts) in 2018, scoring one goal. Since joining the Black & Gold in 2017, Abubakar has made 16 regular-season appearances (15 starts), scoring two goals.
  
• Midfielder Federico Higuain provided the assist in Lalas Abubakar’s 85^th-minute game-winning goal against the New England Revolution in tonight’s match. Higuain took the corner kick that led to Abubakar’s goal, taking his 2018 MLS regular-season assist total to five. In 2018, Higuain has made 13 regular-season appearances (12 starts), registering three goals and five assists, with two of those helpers being game-winning assists. Since joining the Black & Gold in 2012, the Argentine has made 161 appearances (155 starts) and has become one of 18 players in MLS history to reach the 50-50 club, having tallied 51 goals and 54 assists.
  
• Goalkeeper Zack Steffen recorded a clean sheet in tonight’s 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution, bringing his regular-season total to six shutouts. Steffen made a season-high six saves on the night, his highest number of saves in a single regular-season match since making seven saves in a 2-2 draw at home against New York City FC (October 22) last year. This was Steffen’s fourth consecutive clean sheet in the 2018 MLS regular season, as he kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 road draw against Seattle Sounders FC (May 5); in a 1-0 home win over the Philadelphia Union (May 9); and in a 3-0 home victory against the Chicago Fire (May 12). In 2018, Steffen has made 12 regular-season appearances (all starts), registering six shutouts, six wins and 26 saves.
  
• Crew SC has gone 405 minutes without allowing a goal in regular-season action, dating back to the second half of a 2-1 home win over the San Jose Earthquakes on April 28. Since then, the Black & Gold have posted four consecutive shutouts. This is the second longest streak in club history, behind only a shutout streak from the 2011 MLS regular season, in which Crew SC went 414 minutes from March 19 – April 23 without giving up a goal. Additionally, goalkeeper Zack Steffen holds the second longest regular-season shutout streak in club history, only nine minutes behind William Hesmer’s 414-minute streak from 2011. Since joining the Black & Gold in 2016, Steffen has made 46 regular-season appearances (all starts), registering 15 shutouts, 22 wins and 124 saves.  
  
• Defender Josh Williams made his 100^th regular-season appearance for the Black & Gold in tonight’s 1-0 road victory over the New England Revolution. Williams came in as a substitute for midfielder Mike Grella in the 90^th minute of the match. The defender has started in 89 of those 100 regular-season appearances for Crew SC, while registering seven goals and four assists. In all, Williams has made 132 regular-season appearances (117) in MLS regular-season action since joining the League in 2010.
  
• With tonight’s 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution, Crew SC extended its regular-season unbeaten streak to six consecutive games, dating back to a 2-2 draw on April 21^st against the Revs. Since then, Crew SC has posted a record of 4-0-2, outscoring its opponents by a score of 9-3. Additionally, tonight’s win brought the Black & Gold’s all-time regular-season record against the Revs to 36-23-13 while bringing their all-time regular-season record on the road against the Revs to 16-15-6.
  
• With tonight’s 1-0 win over the New England Revolution, Crew SC’s record on the season improves to 7-3-3. Next up, Crew SC travels to take on Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Sunday, May 27 (6:00 p.m. ET / FS1, CD102.5 FM, English and Spanish audio broadcasts available on ColumbusCrewSC.com).