FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (4-6-2, 14 pts.) earned its third consecutive victory on Saturday night, defeating Richmond Kickers (6-3-2, 20 pts.) on the road, 4-0. Revolution Homegrown Players Nicolas Firmino and Damian Rivera tallied for New England, with the latter netting the first goal of his professional career.

"I think for this group it’s been well-deserved," said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. "Now the focus, as it is every week when you get a win, is to not get complacent and continue on the path that your own and try to do the same next week or the next game.”

Revolution II took the lead in the 23^rd minute on an own goal by Richmond defender Kyle Venter. New England forward Orlando Sinclair headed down a cross by midfielder Tiago Mendonca with the ball deflecting off Venter and into the net. Firmino struck eight minutes later from the penalty spot to double the lead, converting the first penalty attempt for Revolution II this season.

“We’re just clicking on all cylinders right now," said Firmino. Guys are in the right spots and the more we play together, the more chemistry we get and I feel like it all came together tonight.”

In the second half, New England tallied two more goals, including Rivera’s first-career score. The 17-year-old from Cranston, R.I. found the net in the 83^rd minute with an assist from Mayele Malango. The goal came two minutes after Richmond’s Mumbi Kwesele bundled a cross into his own net for New England’s third goal.

"We’ve gotten results, scored goals early before the other team, and it has just built up our confidence," said Revolution II defender and captain Collin Verfurth. "We have to keep this momentum going to stay focused for next game and play a full 90 minutes again.”

New England will return to Gillette Stadium for the first time in a month next Friday night, October 9, hosting Fort Lauderdale CF in the teams’ first-ever meeting. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the United States.

Richmond Kickers 0, New England Revolution II 4
October 3, 2020 – City Stadium (Richmond, Va.)

Revolution II Keeps Third Straight Clean Sheet, Extends Shutout Streak

• Revolution II won for the third consecutive match without conceding a goal, extending the club’s current shutout streak to 352 minutes.
• Tiago Mendonca led the way with five clearances, six interceptions, and 12 possessions gained on the night while Ryan Spaulding had a team-high nine interceptions to go along with nine possessions gained.

Firmino Adds Team-Leading Third Goal of the Season

• Midfielder Nicolas Firmino scored his third goal of the year in the 31^st minute, converting a penalty kick to give New England a 2-0 advantage.
• Firmino, a resident of Somerville, Mass., finished the night with six shots, including three on target, and completed 81 percent of his passes.
• It was the first penalty kick Revolution II had earned this season, won by defender Colby Quinones who drew the foul inside the box.

Rivera Scores First Professional Goal

• Midfielder Damian Rivera came off the bench to score the first goal of his professional career with an assist from Mayele Malango. Rivera, who played 20 minutes, had two shots on goal.
• The Cranston, R.I. native, signed as New England’s seventh Homegrown Player in the offseason, previously scored two goals in exhibition action with the Revolution first team during 2020 preseason camp in Los Angeles, Calif.

Three Players Hit 1,000 Minutes Played on the Season

• Revolution II players Jon Bell, Nicolas Firmino, and Maciel all reached the 1,000-minute milestone on the season, becoming the first players in club history to accomplish the feat.
• Bell is currently the only member of the team to play every minute of the season through 12 games, leading all players with 1,080 minutes in his rookie season.

Meyer Keeps First Career Shutout

• Goalkeeper Keegan Meyer earned the start in net in place of the injured Joe Rice, finishing the night with three saves to collect his first career shutout.
• Meyer made his fourth appearance and third start of the season, with his last start coming on Aug. 29 at Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Gary Gutierrez
Assistant Referees: Andrew Charron (AR1), Meghan Mullen (AR2)
Fourth Official: Nickrod Fateh
Weather: 60 degrees and clear

Scoring Summary:
NE – Kyle Venter (Own Goal) 23’
NE – Nicolas Firmino (Penalty Kick) 31’
NE – Mumbi Kwesele (Own Goal) 81’
NE – Damian Rivera (Mayele Malango) 83’

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Colby Quinones (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 45’+4
RIC – Wahab Acwei (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 86’
RIC – Mumbi Kwesele (Yellow Card- Bad Foul) 90’

New England Revolution II: Keegan Meyer; Ryan Spaulding, Jon Bell, Collin Verfurth ©, Colby Quinones (Ryo Shimazaki 85’); Maciel, Tiago Mendonca, Nicolas Firmino (Hikaru Fujiwara 82’); Connor Presley (Damian Rivera 70’), Orlando Sinclair (Meny Silva 84’), Justin Rennicks (Mayele Malango 82’).

Substitutes Not Used: Matthew Tibbetts, Diego Souza.

Richmond Kickers: Akira Fitzgerald; Wahab Ackwei, Kyle Venter, Ivan Magalhaes, Scott Thomsen; Victor Falck (Gregory Boehme 79’), Ryley Kraft (Mumbi Kwesele 58’), Luka Pavone (Stanley Alves HT), David Diosa (Jonathan Bolanos HT); Emiliano Terzaghi, Mutaya Mwape (Oalex Anderson 70’).

Substitutes Not Used: Lee Johnston, Hassan Pinto.