FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-7-1, 22 pts.) defeated North Carolina FC (3-8-3, 12 pts.) on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium, 3-0, to capture their third straight home win and league-leading seventh clean sheet of the season. 2021 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick Edward Kizza scored his first two professional goals in the second half after Homegrown Player Damian Rivera put New England in front late in the first half with his team-leading fourth goal of the year.
Revolution II began the match on the front foot, with defender Ryan Spaulding hitting the woodwork on two separate occasions inside the first 20 minutes. It was Rivera who found the back of the net in the 33rd minute to give New England the lead, taking a feed from Sean O’Hearn and dribbling past two defenders to slot home a right-footed shot.
Kizza extended the lead with his first two goals as a professional in the second half. His first came by way of a header off a cross from defender Colby Quiñones. Quiñones, a Revolution Academy graduate from Bedford, N.H., recorded his first assist of the season. In the 74th minute, Kizza took a through ball from another Academy product Hikaru Fujiwara and beat North Carolina goalkeeper Nicholas Holliday low to seal the three points.
On defense, goalkeeper Joe Rice claimed his second consecutive clean sheet and fifth of the season, tied for the league lead. Rice made three saves, all in the second half, to preserve the shutout.
New England will hit the road next weekend to face the Richmond Kickers for the third time this season on Saturday, August 14 at City Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution II 3, North Carolina FC 0
August 5, 2021 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
- New England Revolution II defeated North Carolina FC, 3-0, in the first ever meeting between the teams on Thursday night in Foxborough. The result improves New England’s record to 7-7-3 (22 pts.) and lifts the club into fourth place in the USL League One standings.
- Revolution II claimed its third consecutive home victory, and fifth win over its last six home matches.
- New England kept its seventh clean sheet of the 2021 season, top marks for League One.
- Forward Edward Kizza scored his first two professional goals, the first brace for Revolution II since Aug. 15, 2020 and just the second multi-goal game in team history. Kizza had three shots, all on target, and added two key passes on the night.
- Homegrown Player Damian Rivera (Cranston, R.I.) scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season and his second game-winning tally of the year. Rivera, who has three goals in his last four matches, registered six shots and won 12 of 16 duels.
- Defender Sean O’Hearn tallied his second assist of the season, a game winner, on Rivera’s opening goal. O’Hearn led the team with three tackles and added two interceptions.
- Defender Colby Quiñones made his first start since July 9, playing 73 minutes and recording his second-career assist. Quiñones also had one shot on target, nine recoveries, and completed 88 percent of his passes.
- Midfielder Michel recorded a team-high four key passes on the night, helping set up New England’s second goal of the match. The Brazilian added nine recoveries in 79 minutes.
- Midfielder and captain Jake Rozhansky had two key passes, pushing his team leading total to 27, tied for fourth most in League One. For the 10th consecutive game, Rozhansky completed over 90 percent of his passes going 65 for 69 on the night. He added a team-high 11 recoveries.
- Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made one change to the Starting XI from New England’s last match on July 23 vs. Toronto FC II. Colby Quinones replacing an injured Pierre Cayet on the back line. Sean O’Hearn moved into the center back role for the first time since June 19.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Nabil Bensalah.Assistant Referees: Amilcar Sicaju (AR1), Ian Mangione (AR2).Fourth Official: Jessica Carnevale.Weather: 66 degrees and showers.
Scoring Summary:
NE – Damian Rivera 4 (Sean O’Hearn 2) 33’
NE – Edward Kizza 1 (Colby Quinones 1) 49’
NE – Edward Kizza 2 (Hikaru Fujiwara 2) 74’
Misconduct Summary:
NC – Nelson Flores (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 53’
NC – Max Flick (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 86’
New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Ryan Spaulding, Collin Verfurth, Sean O’Hearn, Colby Quinones (Connor Presley 72’); Jake Rozhansky ©, Michel (Dennis Ramirez 79’), Noel Buck (Hikaru Fujiwara 65’); Justin Rennicks (Ryan Sierakowski 79’), Damian Rivera, Edward Kizza.
Substitutes Not Used: Marzuq Puckerin, Tyler Freitas, Francois Dulysse.
North Carolina FC: Nicholas Holliday; Malyk Hamilton, Malick Mbaye, Shermaine Martina, Max Flick; Nelson Flores-Blanco (Josh Coan 64’), Luis Arriaga (Peter Pearson 84’), Pecka (Selmir Miscic 75’); Nazmi Albadawi © (Cole Frame 46’), JayTee Kamara, Thorn Simpson (Robbie Kristo 46’).
Substitutes Not Used: Jake McGuire, Nelson Martinez.
