FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (5-6-2, 17 pts.) claimed its fourth straight victory on Friday night, defeating Fort Lauderdale CF (4-8-2, 14 pts.), 4-1, in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Homegrown Player Justin Rennicks scored the winning goal in the 60^th minute, with Academy defender Colby Quinones picking up his first-career assist on the play.

“I think just being more efficient in and around the goal,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “Obviously, I think the group is finding a good rhythm, especially in counter-attacking moments, finding the open guy, making the extra pass, and then being clinical in our finishing.”

Midfielder Nicolas Firmino put New England in front late in the first half on a free kick, his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Fort Lauderdale CF forward Felipe Valencia evened the match seven minutes into the second half, and just eight minutes before Rennicks regained the lead.

“I think we’re just getting along now, we appreciate playing with each other,” said Revolution II Midfielder Tiago Mendonca. “We’re starting to play better with each other and I believe Justin Rennicks was a great help on the ball. We’re just feeling good now.”

Mendonca and Ryan Spaulding each added their first career goals late in the second half. Defensively, New England recorded 29 clearances as a team and limited Fort Lauderdale to just three shots on target.

“All the guys are working for each other,” said Spaulding. “We had guys getting out to the ball, me and Colby [Quinones] and we had our center midfielders and center backs covering for us, then we would cover for them. It’s just really a well-oiled machine with a lot of communication and it’s really coming together.”

New England will play its final home match of the season at Gillette Stadium next Friday night, October 16, hosting North Texas SC in their second meeting of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the United States.

New England Revolution II 4, Fort Lauderdale CF 1
October 9, 2020 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Homegrown Players Tally Goals in Victory

• Forward Justin Rennicks (South Hamilton, Mass.) and midfielder Nicolas Firmino (Somerville, Mass.) each scored goals in the victory for New England.
• Firmino scored off a free kick in the first half, his team-leading fourth goal of the season, and tallied his second assist of the year in the second half.
• Rennicks scored his third goal in five games since joining the squad on loan from the Revolution first team while adding two key passes.
• Midfielder Isaac Angking (Providence, R.I.) returned from injury to make his first appearance since Aug. 29, playing 12 minutes as a second half substitute.

Academy Defender Quinones Gets First Career Assist

• Academy defender Colby Quinones (2003 – Bedford, N.H.) recorded his first career assist, supplying a cross on Justin Rennicks’ second-half goal.
• Quinones, who leads all Academy players with 11 games played this season logging 884 minutes, had four possessions gained and three interceptions defensively while recording a team-high three key passes.

Spaulding Strikes For First Time This Season

• Defender Ryan Spaulding scored his first goal of the season in the 75^th minute, finishing off an assist from Nicolas Firmino.
• The left back finished the night with eight possessions gained, three interceptions, and two clearances.

Mendonca Tallies First Goal, Career-High in Clearances

• Defender Tiago Mendonca scored his first career goal in second-half stoppage time, cleaning up a loose ball in the six-yard box.
• Mendonca, who started at center back, had game high 13 clearances, eight possessions gained, and a blocked shot.

Revolution II Makes One Change to Starting XI

• New England made just a single change to the starting lineup on Friday, with Damian Rivera replacing Jon Bell. It was the first time this season Bell did not start, with the rookie defender having played every minute of the season prior to Friday night.
• Rivera made his first start since Sept. 16 at FC Tucson, playing 78 minutes and finishing the night with four possessions gained and two interceptions in midfield.
• Tiago Mendonca replaced Bell at center back, his second start and third appearance at the position this season.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Kenneth Rojas
Assistant Referees: Tom Felice (AR1), Eric Schreiber (AR2)
Fourth Official: Jeremy Scheer
Weather: 54 degrees and clear

Scoring Summary:
NE – Nicolas Firmino (Unassisted) 42’
FTL – Felipe Valencia (Edison Azcona) 52’
NE – Justin Rennicks (Colby Quinones) 60’
NE – Ryan Spaulding (Nicolas Firmino) 75’
NE – Tiago Mendonca (Mayele Malango) 90’+3

Misconduct Summary:
FTL – Eduardo Sosa (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 24’
NE – Nicolas Firmino (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 27’
FTL – Modesto Mendez (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 30’
FTL – Servando Carrasco (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 56’

New England Revolution II: Keegan Meyer; Ryan Spaulding, Tiago Mendonca, Collin Verfurth ©, Colby Quinones; Maciel, Damian Rivera (Isaac Angking 77’), Nicolas Firmino; Connor Presley (Meny Silva 86’), Orlando Sinclair (Hikaru Fujiwara HT), Justin Rennicks (Mayele Malango 77’).

Substitutes Not Used: Matthew Tibbetts, Ryo Shimazaki, Jon Bell.

Fort Lauderdale CF: Andre Zuluaga-Silva; Sami Guediri, Ethan Hardin, Modesto Mendez (Christian Lue Young 61’), Brian Rosales; Blaine Ferri (Josh Saveedra 61’), Servando Carrasco © (Rivaldo Ibarra 82’), Eduardo Sosa (Jason Bucknor 82’); Felipe Valencia, Edison Azcona, Ricky Lopez-Espin (Jerome Kiesewetter 71’).

Substitutes Not Used: Daniel Gagliardi, Frank Nodarse.