FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-7-3, 24 pts.) played to a 1-1 draw against South Georgia Tormenta FC (7-10-3, 24 pts.) at Erk Russell Park in Statesboro, Ga. on Saturday night. Edward Kizza scored his fourth goal in the last three games for New England in the 60th minute. Kizza’s tally was cancelled out by Luca Mayr-Fälten’s tight-angle shot in the 72nd minute.
Revolution II had several quality chances in the first half. Ryan Spaulding fired shots just off target while Kizza and Noel Buck narrowly missed on chances moments apart. Kizza would get his goal just under an hour into the match, tucking home a rebound off a Connor Presley curler to give Revs II the lead.
Tormenta FC would equalize 12 minutes later, as Luca Mayr-Fälten slotted a home a shot from a narrow angle off a through ball from Rodney Michael. Goalkeeper Joe Rice, sporting the captain’s armband for the first time, helped secure the point for New England with a season-high six saves.
Revolution Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic became the 29th different player, and 14th Revolution Academy product, to make his professional debut with Revolution II. The Appleton, Wisc. native saw 31 minutes of action off the bench.
New England, which extended its unbeaten run to four games, was without several of its typical starters due to injuries and MLS call-ups. Justin Rennicks, Damian Rivera, and Collin Verfurth were all on the bench for the MLS side during its 4-1 win over FC Cincinnati. Rennicks and Rivera both made their MLS-season debuts as second-half substitutes. Pierre Cayet and Jake Rozhansky both missed Saturday’s match with injuries.
New England will have next weekend off before returning home on Wednesday, Sept. 1 to host FC Tucson. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution II 1, Tormenta FC 1
August 21, 2021 – Erk Russell Park (Statesboro, Ga.)
- New England Revolution II battled South Georgia Tormenta to a 1-1 draw at Erk Russell Park in Statesboro, Ga. on Saturday night, moving their record to 7-7-3 (24 points) on the year and 2-4-2 away from home.
- The result extended New England’s unbeaten streak to four games (2-0-2) dating back to July 23.
- Forward Edward Kizza scored his fourth goal in the last three games, tying him with both Noel Buck and Damian Rivera for the team lead. Kizza had a team high four shots, including two on target, and one key pass on the night.
- Midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic made his professional debut, becoming the 29th different player and 14th Revolution Academy player to do so with Revolution II since the team began play in 2020.
- Defender Jon Bell made his first USL League One appearance of the season to go with eight games played in MLS. Bell completed 44-of-48 passes in a 59-minute outing.
- Defender Francois Dulysse made his first start since June 12 and his first since returning from Gold Cup duty in July with Haiti. Dulysse was tied for team highs in tackles (2) and clearances (4) while winning six of eight duels.
- Defender Ryan Spaulding had a team-high three key passes on the night to go along with two shots offensively.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Gabriele Giusti.Assistant Referees: Brain Marshall (AR1), Jonathan Smith (AR2).Fourth Official: Phillip Conway.Weather: 83 degrees and cloudy.
Scoring Summary:
NE – Edward Kizza (Unassisted) 60’*
TRM* – Luca Mayr-Fälten (Rodney Michael) 72’
Misconduct Summary:
TRM – Nick O’Callaghan (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 74’TRM – Curtis Thorn (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 76’TRM – Vincenzo Candela (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 90’+1
New England Revolution II: Joe Rice ©; Ryan Spaulding, Jon Bell (Esmir Bajraktarevic 59’), Francois Dulysse, Sean O’Hearn, Colby Quiñones; Hikaru Fujiwara (Meny Silva 59’), Michel, Noel Buck (Dennis Ramirez 83’), Connor Presley; Edward Kizza.
Substitutes Not Used: Yannik Oettl, Tyler Freitas, Morris Matthews, Brandonn Bueno.
Tormenta FC: Pablo Jara; Curtis Thorn, Nick O’Callaghan, Sergi Nus, Stefan Mueller; Luca Mayr-Fälten, Ricardo Gómez (Kristo Strickler 84’), Raheem Somersall (Kobe Perez 77’); Marco Micaletto, Rodney Michael (Niki Jackson 76’), Azaad Liadi (Vincenzo Candela 82’).
Substitutes Not Used: Carlos Avilez, Luis Rodríguez, Clayton Adams.
