ARLINGTON, Texas – New England Revolution II (0-1-2, 2 pts.) earned a point in its first road trip of the season, playing to a 3-3 draw against defending USL League One champion North Texas SC (1-1-2, 5 pts.) on Saturday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Revolution Academy products accounted for all three of New England’s goals, with Nicolas Firmino tallying in the first half and Isaac Angking scoring two goals in the second half.

“Based on the personnel that we had and what North Texas wanted to do, I felt it was important to have Isaac in that position to give us some possession a little higher up the field,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “They did a decent job at times and I would say that Isaac was probably more impactful in that endeavor.”

Firmino scored the first goal in Revolution II history in the 16^th minute with a half-volley off a giveaway by North Texas goalkeeper Luis Zamudio. In the 58^th minute, Angking tapped home a slotted pass from Tiago Mendonca to tie the match at 2-2, with the Portuguese midfielder picking up his first career assist on the play. Angking followed that up with a curling, long-range effort in the 79^th minute to give Revolution II the first lead of the night and of the season.

The Revolution Academy enjoyed another historic night, as defender Colby Quinones earned a spot in the starting lineup to become the first active Revolution Academy player to start a professional match. Two more Academy players made their League One debuts as second-half substitutes – Hikaru Fujiwara and Morris Matthews – the former providing an assist on Angking’s second goal. Academy midfielder Kaoru Fujiwara made his second appearance of the season off the bench.

“I’ve been working so hard for this moment and I tried to make the most of it tonight,” said Quinones. “We didn’t get the result we wanted but it was an experience, I’ll tell you that.”

After Angking’s late go-ahead goal, Alex Bruce added an equalizer for North Texas in second-half stoppage time. Thomas Roberts and Ronaldo Damus both scored in the first half for North Texas, assisted by Juan Alvarez.

New England will play three games in an eight-day span starting on Friday, August 21 when Revolution II welcomes Richmond Kickers to Foxborough for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff. The match will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally.

New England Revolution II 3, North Texas SC 3
August 15, 2020 – Globe Life Park (Arlington, Tex.)

Nicolas Firmino Strikes First for Revolution II

• Midfielder Nicolas Firmino, one of six Homegrown Players on the club’s MLS roster, scored the first goal in Revolution II history in the 16^th minute of Saturday’s match, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error by North Texas to send a half-volley into the bottom corner.
• The goal was Firmino’s first professional tally after signing a first-team contract straight out of the Academy ahead of the 2019 season.

Isaac Angking Bags a Brace

• Midfielder Isaac Angking, a native of Providence, R.I., struck twice in the second half in what was his second appearance for Revolution II. The 20-year-old scored a tap-in goal just short of the hour mark and added a left-footed, long-range strike in the 79^th minute.
• The Homegrown Player had a team-high four shots, including three on target, and completed 90.9 percent of his passes on the night.

Academy Defender Colby Quinones Earns Historic Start

• Bedford, N.H. product Colby Quinones earned the start at right back, making the 17-year-old defender the first active Academy player to start a professional match for the club.
• Quinones played the full 90 minutes in his League One debut while recording a team-high 60 touches and two blocked shots on the night.
• The Providence College commit has been a member of the Revolution Academy’s residency program since 2019.

Joe Rice Makes Season-High Six Saves New Career High

• Goalkeeper Joe Rice made his third consecutive start to begin the 2020 season, setting a new season high with six saves on the night.
• With his third start, Rice sets a new personal high for starts in a season while equalling his previous career high of three appearances, both set last year while playing for Richmond.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Lorenzo Hernandez
Assistant Referees: Jennifer Garner (AR1), Ken Mizuno (AR2)
Fourth Official: Gloria Resendiz
Weather: 99 degrees and sunny

Scoring Summary:
NTX – Thomas Roberts (Juan Alvarez) 4’
NE – Nicolas Firmino 16’
NTX – Ronaldo Damus (Juan Alvarez) 27’
NE – Isaac Angking (Tiago Mendonca) 58’
NE – Isaac Angking (Hikaru Fujiwara) 79’
NTX – Alex Bruce 90’+2

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Colby Quinones (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 22’
NE – Jon Bell (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 81’

New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Colby Quinones, Collin Verfurth ©, Jon Bell, Ryan Spaulding (Morris Matthews 90’+4); Maciel, Nicolas Firmino, Tiago Mendonca (Hikaru Fujiwara 60’); Connor Presley (Kaoru Fujiwara 78’), Mayele Malango (Orlando Sinclair 78’), Isaac Angking

Substitutes Not Used: Keegan Meyer Oskar Bloch, Meny Silva

North Texas SC: Luis Zamudio; Derek Waldeck, Brecc Evans, Justin Che, Juan Alvarez © (Lamar Batista 37’); Alisson (Philip Ponder 83’), Jorge Almanguer, Benjamin Redzic (Alex Bruce 83’); Ronaldo Damus, Thomas Roberts (Oscar Romero 73’), Collin Smith (David Rodriguez 73’)

Substitutes Not Used: Carlos Avilez, Diego Hernandez