Revolution II Doubled up at FC Tucson 4-2
July 18, 2021 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
New England Revolution II News Release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution II (5-7-1, 16 pts.) fell on Saturday night at FC Tucson (4-4-4, 16 pts.), 4-2. Tucson scored twice in a three-minute span early in the first half, with Daniel Bedoya and Shak Adams putting the hosts in front. Damian Rivera would pull one back for Revs II in the 34th minute, with midfielder Jake Rozhansky picking up his team-leading fourth assist of the season. Tobenna Uzo scored a pair of goals in the second half before Ryan Sierakowski pulled one back late for New England to cap the scoring.
Rivera tallied a goal for the second consecutive match, collecting a feed at the top of the 18-yard-box from Rozhansky before beating a defender and slotting home a shot past Tucson goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley. The goal was Rivera's third, tying him for the team lead with midfielder Noel Buck. Rivera also surpassed 1,000 minutes in a season for the first time in his career.
Sierakowski netted his first goal for New England since the season opener late in the second half, collecting a loose ball in the penalty area and delivering a turnaround shot into the net. The striker came on as a substitute to replace first-team forward Edward Kizza, who made his second straight start up top for Revolution II and registered a pair of shots on target in a 69-minute outing.
New England returns home next week, hosting Toronto FC II on Friday night at Gillette Stadium for the second time this month. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
New England Revolution II 2, FC Tucson 4
July 17, 2021 - Kino North Stadium (Tucson, Az.)
New England Revolution II lost, 4-2, on Saturday night to FC Tucson at Kino North Stadium. The result drops New England's record to 5-7-1 on the 2021 season and 0-2-0 in the all-time series with FC Tucson.
Revolution Homegrown Player Damian Rivera scored his third goal of the year in the 34th minute, marking the second straight contest the 18-year-old forward has tallied a goal. Rivera, who logged 90 minutes to surpass 1,000 minutes in a season for the first time in his career, finished the night with two shots, three tackles, and 88.5 percent of his passes completed.
Midfielder and captain Jake Rozhansky picked up his team-leading fourth assist of the season, the most by any player in Revolution II history. Rozhansky completed 90.2 percent of his passes on the night, including a game high four key passes, extending his streak to nine straight matches with over 90 percent of his passes completed.
Forward Ryan Sierakowski scored his second goal of the season - his first since the season opener - in a 21-minute substitute appearance. The 24-year-old tallied two shots on the night.
Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made one change to the Starting XI from last Friday's victory, with Tyler Freitas making his second start of the season, replacing Colby Quinones at right back.
Striker Edward Kizza started his second consecutive match for Revolution II, his third appearance in USL League One this year, playing 69 minutes and registering two shots on target.
Defender Ryan Spaulding played 90 minutes for the seventh-straight match, becoming the first player in Revolution II history to surpass 1,000 minutes in each of the team's first two seasons. Spaulding marked the occasion by registering a team high three interceptions.
Defender Pierre Cayet continued to play in every minute for the club since making his debut on May 16, finishing the night with a team high 10 recoveries along with three tackles and a blocked shot.
Midfielder Noel Buck continued to appear in every match for New England this season, playing 90 minutes for the first time since the season opener on April 10 and registering team highs in tackles (5) and duels won (8). The 16-year-old also recorded five recoveries and a shot on target.
Revolution Academy graduates Tyler Freitas, Dennis Ramirez, and Hikaru Fujiwara along with Homegrown Player Justin Rennicks also featured in Saturday's match, with Rennicks and Freitas starting the contest. Academy forward Michael Tsicoulias also made substitute appearance, his 11th of season.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Adorae Monroy.
Assistant Referees: Matthew Schwartz (AR1), C.J. Koll (AR2).
Fourth Official: Mark Novosel.
Weather: 92 degrees and partly cloudy.
Scoring Summary:
TUC - Daniel Bedoya (Charlie Dennis) 23'
TUC - Shak Adams (Unassisted) 26'
NE - Damian Rivera (Jake Rozhansky) 34'
TUC - Tobenna Uzo (Charlie Dennis) 47'
TUC - Tobenna Uzo (Kevin Rodriguez) 75'
NE - Ryan Sierakowski (Unassisted) 81'
Misconduct Summary:
NE - Collin Verfurth (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 6'
NE - Edward Kizza (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 45'+2
TUC - Daniel Bedoya (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 53'
NE - Michel (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 55'
NE - Jake Rozhansky (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 77'
NE - Sean O'Hearn (Yellow Card - Dissent) 81'
TUC - Maximiliano Schenfeld (Red Card - Serious Foul) 90'+1
New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Ryan Spaulding, Collin Verfurth, Pierre Cayet, Tyler Freitas (Sean O'Hearn 80'); Jake Rozhansky © (Dennis Ramirez 80'), Michel (Hikaru Fujiwara 80'), Noel Buck; Justin Rennicks (Michael Tsicoulias 80'), Damian Rivera, Edward Kizza (Ryan Sierakowski 69').
Substitutes Not Used: Marzuq Puckerin, Colby Quinones.
FC Tucson: Wallis Lapsley; Noah Franke, Luca Mastrantonio, Dakota Barnathan © (Kaelen Fox 69'), Maximiliano Schenfeld (Red Card 90'+1); Daniel Bedoya (Joao Delgado 78'), Jordan Pena, Charlie Dennis (Manuel Ferriol 65'); Shak Adams, Deri Corfe (Kevin Rodriguez 65'), Tobenna Uzo.
Substitutes Not Used: Ryan Shellow, Alex Knox, Gio Calixtro.
FC Tucson Team Statistics New England Revolution II
16 (6) Shots (on Target) 17 (6)
3 Blocked Shots 4
4 Saves 2
6 Corner Kicks 3
4 Offsides 1
17 Fouls 22
350 (81.4%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 371 (82.7%)
48.4% Possession 51.6%
POSTGAME QUOTES:
New England Revolution II 2 at FC Tucson 4
New England Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay
On failing to capitalize on early chances:
Peay: "It was critical. When we score first, we haven't lost a game. When we concede first, we haven't won a game."
On a lack of sharpness on both ends of the field:
Peay: "It's the same. I think we understand what the issues are, in terms of being able to make plays on both sides of the ball. The players understand it and it's our job as staff to try to get them to have a better focus and concentration. But it's also the players responsibility to be able to go out and perform at a high level and be consistent."
On the physicality of the match:
Peay: "There was a lot of whistles called early. I think some of the physicality, there just wasn't much in it."
On Ryan Sierakowski's impact off the bench:
Peay: "I thought [Ryan Sierakowski] targeted well. He had a big guy he had to play against and deal with and I thought he dealt with him well to keep some balls alive for us as we played forward. And he got a goal so he did his part."
New England Revolution II Midfielder Jake Rozhansky
On adding a playmaking element to his game:
Rozhansky: "I think I've just tried to get around the box, find our attacking guys -- [Damian Rivera], [Justin] Rennicks, [Edward] Kizza today, [Ryan] Sierakowski. I try to give the ball to those guys and see what they can create putting them in good areas."
On the physicality of the match:
Rozhansky: "It was difficult to deal with. I feel like it was a little difficult because of the game, there were so many fouls. Some fouls were called, some weren't called. Every game in this league is going to be physical, it's going to be difficult, especially with the weather conditions here. And that's just something we're going to have to deal with."
On the lack of defensive focus:
Rozhansky: "Yeah, we just need to take care of the critical moments. On the first goal, the first goal is from a corner kick, a set piece, and we can't allow that. And then, you know, getting scored on two or three minutes into the second half. We had a huge halftime talk about how we're going to come out and put them under pressure, it just kills all the momentum. Those are the critical moments that we have to take care of but I'll be the first to say it wasn't good enough for me. I don't think it was good enough from the team today, and I think we can all agree on that. We just got to regroup and come back ready for next week."
United Soccer League One Stories from July 18, 2021
- NCFC Falls to Toronto FC II in High-Scoring Tilt - North Carolina FC
- Revolution II Doubled up at FC Tucson 4-2 - New England Revolution II
- Fort Lauderdale CF Earns 1-1 Draw against Richmond Kickers - Fort Lauderdale CF
- Richmond Weathers the Storm to Draw against Fort Lauderdale - Richmond Kickers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
