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.

“It's amazing, especially again since it was at Gillette Stadium,” said Cayet. “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.”

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.

“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,” said Edwards Jr. “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.”

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.

“I think more importantly, the group played well,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “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.”

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.