USL1 New England Revolution II

Revolution II Ends Homestand with 1-0 Win over Fort Lauderdale CF

May 28, 2021 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
New England Revolution II News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution II (1-2-1, 4 pts.) defeated Fort Lauderdale CF (3-5-0, 9 pts.) on Friday night at Gillette Stadium, 1-0. Defender Pierre Cayet scored his first professional goal on just his second professional appearance, heading home a Jake Rozhansky free kick in the 17th minute.

Goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. made five saves, including a stop on a penalty kick by Fort Lauderdale's Shaan Hundal just moments after New England took the lead. Edwards and first-team defender Christian Mafla both made their second appearances with Revolution II this season. Mafla played 63 minutes on the night.

Homegrown Players Justin Rennicks and Damian Rivera each made their fifth straight start for Revolution II to begin the 2021 season. Fellow Revolution Academy products Meny Silva (2002 - Roxbury, Mass.) and Noel Buck (2005 - Arlington, Mass.) also made appearances off the bench.

New England will begin a three-match road trip next weekend, travelling to face Richmond Kickers at City Stadium on Saturday, June 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

New England Revolution II 1, Fort Lauderdale CF 0

May 28, 2021 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

New England Revolution II defeated Fort Lauderdale CF on Friday night at Gillette Stadium, 1-0, moving their record for the season to 2-2-1, and improving to 3-0-0 in the all-time series with Fort Lauderdale CF.

Defender Pierre Cayet scored his first professional goal, heading home a cross from midfielder Jake Rozhansky to give New England a first-half lead. Cayet earned his second straight start since signing with the club in April. He played 90 minutes and finished with six recoveries, four tackles, and nine duels won.

Midfielder Jake Rozhansky put in a 90-minute shift, completing 95 percent of his passes as well as six duels won and four chances created.

Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made three changes to the Starting XI from the team's last match on May 16. Earl Edwards Jr., Christian Mafla, and François Dulysse started in place of Joe Rice, Ryan Spaulding, and Noel Buck, with Connor Presley slotting into a midfield role after playing right back in the last match.

First team players Earl Edwards Jr. and Christian Mafla both made their second appearances with Revolution II this season, their first since April 17. Edwards Jr. made five saves and preserved the shutout by denying a penalty kick in the 21st minute. Mafla played 63 minutes before being subbed off, finishing with three tackles, two clearances, and one shot.

Defender François Dulysse returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 12. New England's second-round 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick finished with two clearances and four recoveries.

Homegrown Players Justin Rennicks and Damian Rivera earned starts for the fifth straight match to start the season. Rennicks turned in his first 90-minute performance of the season, finishing with a pair of shots on target and two clearances defensively. Rivera added a shot on target along with eight possessions gained in a 90-minute effort.

Midfielder Michel completed 54 of his 55 passes on the night, including one key pass, and registered one shot, 10 duels won, and a team-high nine recoveries.

Academy midfielder Noel Buck (2005 - Arlington, Mass.) made his fifth appearance of the season while Academy product and forward Meny Silva (2002 - Roxbury, Mass.) played 26 minutes in the second half, completing all nine of his passes.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Christian Centeno

Assistant Referees: Eric Schreiber (AR1); Ian Mangione (AR2)

Fourth Official: Katherine McCormick

Weather: 59 degrees and showers

Scoring Summary:

NE - Pierre Cayet 1 (Jake Rozhansky 1) 17'

Misconduct Summary:

FTL - Venton Evans (Yellow Card - Hand Ball) 24'

FTL - Roberto Poplawski (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 45'

FTL - Harvey Neville (Yellow Card - Bad Foul) 53'

New England Revolution II: Earl Edwards Jr.; Christian Mafla (Ryan Spaulding 64'), Pierre Cayet, François Dulysse, Sean O'Hearn; Damian Rivera (Noel Buck 84'), Jake Rozhansky ©, Michel, Connor Presley; Ryan Sierakowski (Meny Silva 64'), Justin Rennicks.

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Rice, Colby Quiñones, Joe Buck, Michael Tsicoulias.

Fort Lauderdale CF: Drake Callender; Christian Young, Modesto Mendez, Ethan Hardin, Noah Allen; Joshua Penn (Dairon Reyes 73'), Harvey Neville, Roberto Poplawski (Joshua Saveedra 89'), Venton Evans; Shaan Hundal, Abel Caputo (Mitchell Curry 46').

Substitutes Not Used: Luis Zamudio, Braxton Najib, Frank Nodarse, Francisco Raggio.

New England Revolution II Team Statistics Fort Lauderdale CF

12 (4) Shots (on Target) 12 (5)

3 Blocked Shots 1

5 Saves 3

8 Corner Kicks 10

3 Offsides 1

11 Fouls 16

469 (84.9%) Passes Attempted (% Completed) 400 (82.5%)

53.5% Possession 46.5%

POSTGAME QUOTES:

New England Revolution II 1 vs. Fort Lauderdale CF 0

New England Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay

Overall thoughts on Friday's win:

Peay: "I thought the team played well in that they dictated the tempo of the game and moved the ball pretty well to create some problems for the opponent. Defensively, I thought the guys were strong, eliminate the time and space that we gave Fort Lauderdale and I thought it was a well-deserved win."

On how much time was spent working on set pieces this week:

Peay: "You know it was a normal week. We work on set pieces every week and it's just an area and emphasis that we talked about where we say 'This is an opportunity for us, perhaps to put a ball into a dangerous spot and go attack' and so as it relates to set pieces it's just something we do every as part of a routine and nothing different. Obviously with every opponent you sort of adjust, but it's just something that's part of our DNA."

On Christian Mafla's performance:

Peay: "I thought look Christian [Mafla] adds some experience to our group, obviously. He's good about knowing how to change the tempo of the game from slow to fast. He's comfortable on the ball and can get forward. So, I thought early in the game he was good providing us with and getting some crosses off and for him it's about continuing him improve his fitness and get to where he can play with the first team for 90 minutes. So I thought we helped him along in that regard."

On how big the penalty save was in the narrative of the game:

Peay: "I'm not sure, first of all, if it was a penalty. But the save was critical. It changes the game and keeps our momentum going for us. And, you know, it's a big time play by Earl [Edwards Jr.]."

On what the team did right defensively:

Peay: "We were just collective with our defending. For the most part, we defended the box. I think tonight was better than we did last time. We're a little bit more disciplined with our guys late in the game about not extending ourselves and leaving a lot of gaps and spaces, so I thought that was good."

On how the win builds confidence heading into a three-week road trip:

Peay: "I think more importantly, the group played well. I think it gives us confidence to know that we can not only compete in games but move the ball well, create opportunities, and keep a clean sheet."

Revolution II Defender Pierre Cayet

On scoring his first career goal:

Cayet: "It's amazing, especially again since it was at Gillette Stadium. I'm so happy in such a key game we had to win, the win was so important. It feels amazing, I just didn't realize I scored my first goal but it's a great feeling."

On how the team has improved on set pieces:

Cayet: "We've been working on it the past couple of weeks, even yesterday we worked on it a couple times, and it's something we try to implement more and more practice every day and it starts to pay off. So it's really key for us defenders to be able to contribute to scoring goals."

On what the group did well defensively against Fort Lauderdale CF:

Cayet: "I think our goalkeeper was great today and the whole backline, we talked a lot. Playing a 3-5-2 is dangerous at times but we did a great job shifting and helping each other and we took care of detail. That's what coach wanted so we did a great job."

On how big Friday's win was for the team's confidence ahead of a three-week road trip:

Cayet: "Well, it was key. Coming out of a loss and a tie, we needed a three point to bounce back in the standings. And against such a good team like Fort Lauderdale, I think it was good for the team and for the confidence of everybody ahead of the next game."

Revolution II Goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr.

On his penalty save:

Edwards Jr.: "No plan really. Just trusting my instincts, do what I could to try to delay as long as possible in terms of making him think about it, and then just try to execute in the moment."

On playing with Revs II despite a lack of training with the team:

Edwards Jr.: "I haven't had a lot of time to train with [Revs II], but I have played a two now three games with them. So the limited time we get together, I do try to communicate as much as possible and build that relationship, whatever that could be. And I think these guys have done a really good job of being open minded and taking in the information I provide them and we're able to execute on the field and happy to get the results."

On how he'll build confidence from Friday's performance:

Edwards Jr.: "Yeah, a ton of confidence. I've always been really open to playing with the second team if I'm not getting minutes with the first team and it's a great way to build my form and be ready to go if I am called upon. So I think that's exactly what I was able to do today, build confidence and perform at a high level and be ready when my time comes."

Check out the New England Revolution II Statistics



United Soccer League One Stories from May 28, 2021


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