FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (5-6-3, 18 pts.) played to a 1-1 draw against North Texas SC (5-3-6, 21 pts.) on Friday night in their final home match of the 2020 season at Gillette Stadium. Homegrown Player Damian Rivera scored his second goal of the season for New England in the ninth minute. North Texas found the equalizer just four minutes after halftime with a goal by Nicky Hernandez.

“I thought the guys started well and right,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “There was a moment where there was a little bit of a fast attack on the counter and [Damian Rivera] is very good at that, sort of, attracting a guy and then pick out the back post and he did a great job with that.”

Connor Presley had a chance to double the lead for New England eight minutes after Rivera put Revolution II in front, but his shot struck the post. North Texas had a shot hit the post in the 87^th minute after Meyer got a piece of an Edwin Munjoma shot.

Revolution II put in a team effort defensively, with midfielder Tiago Mendonca and Rivera leading the way in possessions gained with 14 and nine, respectively. Captain Collin Verfurth put in a team-high six clearances, vaulting him into the league lead in that category with 66 on the season.

“I think we did a pretty good job for the most part defending,” said Rivera. “We could’ve been better at times being a little bit more connected but overall it’s a big thing we’ve been working on and I think we did a pretty good job tonight.”

New England enters the final week of the regular season with a pair of road matches left on the schedule, beginning Wednesday night with the team’s first-ever visit to face South Georgia Tormenta SC in Statesboro, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the United States.

“The group has been playing well and we want to continue that,” said Peay. “We’ve got to recognize that development continues and people are still going to be watching to see how they’re performing. We certainly don’t want to take our foot off the pedal and make sure that we continue to play well as a group and individual.”

New England Revolution II 1, North Texas SC 1
October 16, 2020 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Rivera Nets Second Goal of the Season

• 17-year-old Homegrown Player Damian Rivera scored his second goal of the season, curling home a finish in the ninth minute for the team’s earliest goal scored in a game this year.
• Rivera, a native of Cranston, R.I., played 76 minutes, taking two shots on offense and recording nine recoveries defensively.

Meyer Sets Career High in Saves

• Goalkeeper Keegan Meyer set a new career high in saves in Friday’s draw, making five stops against North Texas to help earn a point for New England.
• Meyer made a pair of saves in the final five minutes, both on shots by Edwin Munjoma, to keep the game tied.

Presley Helps Spark New England’s Attack

• Forward Connor Presley set a season high with three shots in Friday’s draw, with one on target and another blocked by the defense.
• Presley, who hit the post with a shot in the 17^th minute, also had one key pass and five total crosses on the night. He now ranks third in USL League One in crosses this season with 63.

Revolution II Makes One Change to Starting XI

• New England made a single change to the starting lineup from its most recent match, with Jon Bell slotting back into the lineup in place of the injured Orlando Sinclair. Bell reclaimed his center back role, with Tiago Mendonca moving back into his traditional midfield position and Damian Rivera replacing Sinclair at forward.
• Bell, who had played every minute of the season prior to going as an unused substitute last week, played 90 minutes and finished with two interceptions, two clearances, and three recoveries.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Adam Kilpatrick
Assistant Referees: Amilcar Sicaju (AR1), Sean Lyons (AR2)
Fourth Official: Jeremy Scheer
Weather: 57 degrees and light rain

Scoring Summary:
NE – Damian Rivera (Unassisted) 9’
NTX – Nicky Hernandez (Unassisted) 49’

Misconduct Summary:
NTX – Nicky Hernandez (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 31’

New England Revolution II: Keegan Meyer; Ryan Spaulding, Jon Bell, Collin Verfurth ©, Colby Quinones; Maciel, Tiago Mendonca, Nicolas Firmino; Connor Presley (Isaac Angking 75’), Damian Rivera (Mayele Malango 75’), Justin Rennicks (Isaie Louis 87’).

Substitutes Not Used: Matthew Tibbetts, Ryo Shimazaki, Hikaru Fujiwara, Meny Silva.

North Texas SC: Carlos Avilez ©; Derek Waldeck, Nkosi Burgess, Justin Che, Edwin Munjoma; Thomas Roberts (Jose Kevin Bonilla 85’), Dominick Hernandez; Edwin Cerillo (Alisson 85’), Arturo Rodriguez, Gibran Rayo (Ronaldo Damus 65’); Alex Bruce (Beni Redzic 71’).

Substitutes Not Used: Luis Zamudio, Philip Ponder.