The New England Revolution blank Rochester, 3-0, to advance.
By Jonathan Sigal / Contributor
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Through half an hour Wednesday night, the New England Revolution and Rochester Rhinos were deadlocked in a typical U.S Open Cup match between MLS and USL foes.
Then the floodgates opened.
Rochester center back Joseph Farrell was issued a red card in the 40th minute, sparking a 3-0 win for the Revs at Providence College, booking their place in the fifth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Teal Bunbury opened the proceedings on a penalty kick in the 44th and Donnie Smith added a bullet of a header in the 50th, only for Zachary Herivaux to add an insurance tally a minute later.
From that point on, Revs’ head coach Jay Heaps brought on several usual starters – Kelyn Rowe, Gershon Koffie and Diego Fagundez – pinning Rochester deep in its own half. Thus, Brad Knighton had a pedestrian evening in goal, making his three saves look relatively routine.
The Revs, finalists in the 2016 Open Cup, now hold a 5-0-2 series lead over Rochester. And, with the win, New England are 4-1-1 in their last six contests across all competitions.