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Johnson has hat trick to lead Wizards over Revolution

May 27, 2007 - 3:37 AM FOXBORO, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- The Kansas City Wizards have owned the New England Revolution in recent years, and Eddie Johnson made sure that trend did not change.

Johnson scored three goals to help the Wizards rally for a 4-3 victory over the Revolution on Saturday night.

New England (5-2-2) has not beaten Kansas City at home since 1999 but seemed poised to end the streak when Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman scored to give the Revolution a 2-0 lead in the first 23 minutes.

Twellman's goal was his MLS-leading seventh of the season.

"We showed a lot of character, for sure, going on the road and getting down, 2-0," Kansas City's Davy Arnaud said. "This is a tough place to play anyway, and for us to come back the way we did, get the two goals pretty quick and get the third before half, showed a lot about our character."

After Arnaud halved the deficit for Kansas City (5-2-1) in the 25th minute, Johnson went to work for the Wizards.

The 23-year-old forward beat Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis just 90 seconds after Arnaud's tally, then connected again in the 38th minute, beating Reis with a low right-footed kick for a 3-2 lead.

"I am going to remember this, I'm going to celebrate but I couldn't have asked for it against a better team," Johnson said. "You know the team that is on the top of the league and playing really well. I knew it was going to be tough and I just stayed into it mentally, and when I got my chances I made the best of them."

New England fought back in the second half and tied the goal on a penalty kick in the 69th minute following a hand ball in the penalty area.

Shalrie Joseph took the PK and easily beat Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, who guessed wrong on the shot.

That left it up to Johnson, who was named the MLS Player of the Month in April, to supply the heroics in the 82nd minute.

"It is disappointing that we lose in front of the home fans like that, to be up 2-0 and then to tie it up that late in the game and then give up the winner, it just hurts," Joseph said.

Johnson collected a pass from Carlos Marinelli, split the Revs' defense and easily went around a charging Reis before depositing a left-footed shot into the net for his first MLS hat trick.

"I kind of started out wide and came back in across the defense and he (Marinelli) slipped a great ball behind the defense," Johnson said. "Reis came out and I had to take that touch around him."