FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (1-2-2, 5 pts.) earned their first victory in club history on Wednesday night, defeating first-place Greenville Triumph SC at Gillette Stadium, 1-0. Defender Ryo Shimazaki, earning his second start of the season, scored the winning goal in the 57^th minute with an assist from midfielder Nicolas Firmino.

“It’s a good feeling and I think it has been coming for us,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “I think we’ve had a string of some games where we felt like we deserved more out of it and to finally get the result and see it through tonight was special, especially against a team that is first in the league.”

The assist was Firmino’s first of his career and one of a game-high four key passes the midfielder made on the night. Firmino narrowly missed two chances in the first half to put Revolution II ahead.

New England goalkeeper Joe Rice recorded his second shutout of the season and second career victory, tying a season high with six saves on the night.

“Once we got the lead, we know last time [against North Texas] we lost it and our goal was that if we were to go up we were to maintain and keep that win,” said Rice. “For us it was just playing a full 90 minutes and not leaving any out.”

Greenville entered the match unbeaten and having not allowed a goal in 376 minutes, a streak dating back over a month and across five games. Shimazaki’s strike snapped the Triumph’s shutout streak at 433 minutes. 

“Obviously, the guys know I had the red card two weeks ago and I am really glad to help out the team to get the first win in Revolution II history,” said Shimazaki. “I’m just really glad and can’t wait to get the next goal and win.”

New England will play its third game in eight days on Saturday with a trip to face Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States and YouTube internationally.

New England Revolution II 1, Greenville Triumph SC 0
August 26, 2020 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Shimazaki Nets First Career Goal

• Defender Ryo Shimazaki scored his first career goal for Revolution II, a game-winner, in the 57^th minute to provide the difference on Wednesday night.
• Shimazaki, who also recorded the first shot on goal in team history more than a month back, made his second start and completed 22 passes out of the left back position.

Rice Ties Season-High in Saves in Shutout Performance

• Goalkeeper Joe Rice got the start in goal on Wednesday, recording six saves to tie his season-high mark.
• The win was Rice’s second of his career, first as a member of Revolution II, and his second shutout of the season in four games.

Quinones Gets Third Straight Start

• Academy defender Colby Quinones got the start at right back for the third consecutive match, playing 90 minutes in the victory.
• The Providence commit and member of the Revolution Academy residency program ended the night with two clearances and 36 total touches.

Firmino Paces Attack with First Career Assist

• Nicolas Firmino provided the service on Shimazaki’s goal, recording the first assist of his career.
• Firmino led New England with 62 touches and 17 total duels while completing 71 percent of his passes.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Adam Kilpatrick
Assistant Referees: Amilcar Sicaju (AR1), Eric Schreiber (AR2)
Fourth Official: Hao Zhong
Weather: 72 degrees and mostly sunny

Scoring Summary:
NE – Ryo Shimazaki (Nicolas Firmino) 57’

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Colby Quinones (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 61’
NE – Maciel (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 87’
NE – Tiago Mendonca (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 90’+2
NE – Orlando Sinclair (Yellow Card- Unsporting Behavior) 90’+5

New England Revolution II: Joe Rice; Ryo Shimazaki, Jon Bell, Collin Verfurth, Colby Quinones; Maciel (Tiago Mendonca 90’), Nicolas Firmino, Isaac Angking; Connor Presley (Damian Rivera 78’), Mayele Malango (Ryan Spaulding 84’), Orlando Sinclair.

Substitutes Not Used: Keegan Meyer, Nathan Metsack, Diego Souza, Kaoru Fujiwara.

Greenville Triumph SC: Dallas Jaye; Tyler Polak, Evan Lee, Cesar Murillo, Brandon Fricke; Noah Pilato (Colin Stripling 72’), Aaron Walker, Carlos Gomez; Lachlan McLean (Omar Mohamed HT), Jake Keegan (J.J. Donnelly 72’), Alex Morrell.

Substitutes Not Used: Paul Christensen, Trevor Swartz, Paul Clowes.