FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (7-9-4, 25 pts.) fell on the road Saturday night at North Carolina FC, 4-1. Revolution Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic (2005 – Appleton, Wis.) broke the deadlock with his first professional goal in the 12th minute. North Carolina FC fired back with a pair of goals from ten minutes apart to take a halftime lead and added two more in the second half.
Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic collected his first start, making his fourth appearance since joining the Revolution Academy in August. The 16-year-old scored his first professional goal, sneaking in behind the North Carolina defense and slotting home a shot past Nicholas Holliday.
Defender Ryan Spaulding faced his former club for the first time back in his hometown of Cary, N.C., setting new career highs in shots (7) and shots on target (3), both team highs on the night. Goalkeeper Yannik Oettl made his second start of the season, recording two saves.
Six Revolution Academy graduates appeared in the match tonight – Damian Rivera, Justin Rennicks, Noel Buck all starting and Colby Quiñones, Meny Silva, and Hikaru Fujiwara all coming off the bench.
New England will return home to Foxborough on Friday, Sept. 17, to host Richmond Kickers at Gillette Stadium for the second time this season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
POSTGAME NOTES
New England Revolution II 1, North Carolina FC 4
September 11, 2021 – WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
- New England Revolution II lost, 4-1, at North Carolina FC on Saturday night in Cary, N.C., shifting their record to 7-9-4 on the season.
- Academy midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic became the seventh youth player to start a professional match for Revolution II on Saturday night, making his fourth consecutive appearance since joining the Revolution Academy residency program. Bajraktarevic netted his first professional goal, adding a key pass and two tackles in his first 90-minute outing.
- Forward Connor Presley tallied his second assist of the season on Bajraktarevic’s opener, his first since June 26.
- Defender Ryan Spaulding set a new career high with seven shots on the night, three of which were on target. Spaulding also registered a team-high two clearances.
- Midfielder Noel Buck registered team highs in recoveries (10) and chances created (2) while adding one shot.
- Defender Pierre Cayet recorded one shot on target, added one key pass, and registered a team-high seven interceptions.
- Forward and Revolution Academy graduate Meny Silva won 10 of his 11 duels in a 45-minute shift off the bench, adding two shots with one on target.
- Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made two changes to the Starting XI from New England’s last match on Sept. 5 vs. Tormenta FC, with Yannik Oettl and Esmir Bajraktarevic replacing Joe Rice and Tyler Freitas, respectively.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Alexandra Billeter.
Assistant Referees: Nicholas Seymour (AR1), Caleb Fearing (AR2).
Fourth Official: Emma Richards.
Weather: 76 degrees and clear.
Attendance: 2,249
Scoring Summary:
NE – Esmir Bajraktarevic (Connor Presley) 12’
NC – Nazmi Albadawi (Unassisted) 16’
NC – Josh Coan (Aziel Jackson) 26’
NC – Nazmi Albadawi (Josh Coan) 54’
NC – Jay Tee Kamara (Josh Coan) 64’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Collin Verfurth (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 21’
NE – Sean O’Hearn (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 23’
NC – Josh Coan (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 30’
NC – Nelson Flores (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 66’
New England Revolution II: Yannik Oettl; Ryan Spaulding, Pierre Cayet, Collin Verfurth ©, Sean O’Hearn (Colby Quiñones 46’); Esmir Bajraktarevic, Michel (Hikaru Fujiwara 55’), Noel Buck; Connor Presley, Damian Rivera (Meny Silva 46’), Justin Rennicks.
Substitutes Not Used: Joe Rice, Tyler Freitas, Francois Dulysse, Dennis Ramirez.
North Carolina FC: Nicholas Holliday; Peter Pearson, Malick Mbaye, Britton Fischer, Nelson Blanco Flores; Nelson Martinez, Cole Frame (Parker O’Ferral 86’), Nazmi Albadawi (Daniel Steedman 73’), Jay Tee Kamara (Luis Arriaga 66’), Josh Coan (Rohit Thakur 87’); Aziel Jackson (Thorn Simpson 65’).
Substitutes Not Used: Jake McGuire, Shermaine Martina.
