Sporting Kansas City defender Kevin Ellis laid flat on his stomach, his head buried into the wet turf inside Gillette Stadium. On a night that had looked promising only minutes earlier, Ellis absorbed the back end of a ricochet, and the aftermath of the deflected ball found the back of the net.
The aftermath of the play, meanwhile, loosened Sporting Kansas City's hold on a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
New England struck with two late goals to deal Sporting Kansas City a 3-1 defeat on Saturday, putting Sporting KC on uneasy footing as it heads into its final two regular season matches.