FOXBORO, Mass. -- Avery John scored his first career goal in

the 25th minute to help the New England Revolution snap the

Columbus Crew's 18-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory Saturday

in the opening round of the MLS playoffs.

New England, which entered the postseason at 8-13-9, handed

Columbus its first loss since June 26. The second game of the

two-game, total goals series is Oct. 31 in Columbus.

John sent a left-footed shot from 25 yards into the top left

corner of the net, catching Columbus goalkeeper Jon Busch by

surprise.

Columbus, the Eastern Conference champions, almost evened the

score in the final seconds of the first half, but New England

goalkeeper Matt Reis tipped away a direct kick in stoppage time.

During the second half, Columbus had two more scoring chances.

Reis stopped a shot by Kyle Martino in the 77th minute. Then in the

88th minute, Frankie Hejduk sent a shot just wide of the post.

New England, which extended its unbeaten streak at home to four,

had lost twice and tied two games against Columbus during the

regular season.