FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-8-4, 25 pts.) played to a 1-1 draw with South Georgia Tormenta FC (7-11-4, 25 pts.) on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Defender Ryan Spaulding scored his third goal of the season for New England in the 23rd minute to open up an early lead. Azaad Liadi equalized for Tormenta FC just 10 minutes after Spaulding’s opener.
“I thought the guys put in a decent effort for 90 minutes," said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. "I thought we lacked a little bit of urgency in our transition. I thought we lacked a little bit of creativity in the final third and the moments that we were able to actually get at them, we didn't execute.”
In the first half, Damian Rivera set up New England’s opening goal with an individual run past three Tormenta defenders. Rivera’s cross deflected right to Ryan Spaulding, who poked a shot off Tormenta goalkeeper Pablo Jara and into the net.
Goalkeeper Joe Rice made his first start since Aug. 21, stopping three shots on the night, including a second half drive from Marco Micaletto to keep the game knotted at 1-1. Revolution II defender Pierre Cayet saw his first action since Aug. 14, playing his first 90 minutes since July.
Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic (2005 – Appleton, Wis.) made his third consecutive appearance for New England, coming on as a second-half substitute. Six other Academy graduates featured for Revolution II on Sunday – Justin Rennicks, Damian Rivera, Noel Buck, and Tyler Freitas all started the match while Colby Quiñones and Meny Silva came off the bench.
New England will hit the road next weekend for their first visit to face North Carolina FC on Saturday, Sept. 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution II 1, Tormenta FC 1
September 5, 2021 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
- New England Revolution II drew with South Georgia Tormenta on Sunday night in Foxborough, 1-1, moving their record to 7-8-4 (24 points) on the season.
- Defender Ryan Spaulding netted his third goal of the season. The left back played 90 minutes, finishing the night with a team-high nine recoveries and a blocked shot.
- Midfielder Noel Buck created a team-high five chances on the night, adding two shots in a 90-minute shift.
- Forward and Homegrown Player Damian Rivera had a team-high four shots, including one on target, and created two chances in his eighth 90-minute outing of the season.
- Defender Sean O’Hearn won three tackles and nine of his 11 duels in a 90-minute performance.
- Defender Pierre Cayet made his first appearance since Aug. 14, playing 90 minutes at center back and finishing with team highs in clearances (6) and interceptions (5).
- Defender Collin Verfurth registered a shot on target, completed 91.3 percent of his passes, and added six clearances.
- Defender and Academy graduate Tyler Freitas made his first appearance since July 17, starting for the third time this season.
- Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made three changes to the Starting XI from New England’s last match on Sept. 1 vs. North Carolina FC, with Joe Rice, Tyler Freitas, and Pierre Cayet replacing Yannik Oettl, Colby Quiñones, and Hikaru Fujiwara, respectively.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Benjamin Meyer.
Assistant Referees: Jessica Carnevale (AR1), Andre Carr (AR2).
Fourth Official: Brandon Miskin.
Weather: 67 degrees and showers.
Scoring Summary:
NE – Ryan Spaulding 3 (Unassisted) 23’
TRM – Azaad Liadi 4 (Kristo Strickler 1) 33’
Misconduct Summary:
None.
New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Ryan Spaulding, Pierre Cayet, Collin Verfurth ©, Sean O’Hearn, Tyler Freitas (Esmir Bajraktarevic 79’); Michel, Noel Buck, Connor Presley (Colby Quiñones 78’), Damian Rivera, Justin Rennicks (Meny Silva 79’).
Substitutes Not Used: Yannik Oettl, Dennis Ramirez, Brandonn Bueno, Hikaru Fujiwara.
Tormenta FC: Pablo Jara ©; Curtis Thorn, Nick O’Callaghan, Sergi Nus; Luca Mayr-Fälten, Raheem Sommmersall, Ricardo Gomez (Vincenzo Candela 56’), Stefan Mueller; Kristo Strickler (Rodney Michael 46’), Azaad Liadi (Niki Jackson 72’), Marco Micaletto (Kobe Perez 81’).
Substitutes Not Used: Carlos Avilez, Luis Ángel Rodríguez, Clayton Adams.
