FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II (4-4-1, 13 pts.) defeated North Texas SC (3-4-2, 11 pts.) on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, 3-0. Justin Rennicks, Ryan Spaulding, and Damian Rivera all tallied their first goals of the season within a seven-minute span in the second half to secure the win.

“I thought the guys played really well from start to finish,” said Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay. “I thought early in the game we dictated tempo and we were able to create a lot of quality chances, unfortunately we didn’t put any away in the first half, but great response in the second half. Then showed good discipline, protecting the three-goal lead and getting the win.”

New England had several quality chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Noel Buck hitting the side netting and Spaulding striking the post within a two-minute span in the first half. Rennicks broke the tie in the 58^th minute, poking home a cross from Connor Presley to open up a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, Spaulding bent in a shot from 15 yards out, assisted by Jake Rozhansky. Rivera finished off the scoring spree, converting from the penalty spot in the 65^th minute.

“That's why I’m here. Just to try and create something dangerous in the attack and that’s what I’ve been doing in the past few games,” said Rennicks.” Being able to get a hockey assist with Ryan’s [Spaulding] goal, that’s great, getting my goal, too. I mean, it’s all coming together.”

First team goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. and defender Collin Verfurth also started the match for New England. Edwards recorded his second clean sheet in three League One matches while Verfurth made his first start of the season in his return from an injury.

“We’re feeling pretty great,” said Spaulding. “I think our play is showing that. I mean, two straight shutouts is amazing. We’ve just got to keep that up. It’s great to see multiple goals in a game. That definitely shows that you can put the ball in the back of the net. Of course, along with shutouts, it’s so key for us and we’re doing great. It’s amazing.”

Revolution Academy forward Michael Tsicoulias featured in a third straight contest, while fellow Academy products Hikaru Fujiwara, Dennis Ramirez, and Tyler Freitas appeared as substitutes – the latter making his club debut. Academy product Noel Buck made his first start since signing his USL League One contract with Revs II on Tuesday, playing 78 minutes and registering three shots.

New England will hit the road on Wednesday, June 30 to face Forward Madison FC at Breese Stevens Field. Kickoff on Wednesday is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

New England Revolution II 3, North Texas SC 0
June 26, 2021 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

• New England Revolution II defeated North Texas SC, 3-0, on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. The win improves New England’s record to 4-4-1 and gives Revolution II an edge in the all-time series with North Texas, 1-0-2.
• Saturday’s victory marked the second consecutive clean sheet performance for Revolution II, extending the team’s shutout streak to 193 minutes. It was also the first time in Revs II history the team held an opponent without a shot on target.
• Homegrown Player Justin Rennicks tallied his first goal of the season in the 58t  minute, touching home a cross from Connor Presley, who collected his first assist of the season. Rennicks played 68 minutes and finished with a team-high three shots and two on target.
• Defender Sean O’Hearn notched his first career assist on Rennicks’ goal as well. O’Hearn had a team-high three interceptions to go with four clearances.
• Defender Ryan Spaulding tallied his first goal of the season, with assists from Jake Rozhansky and Rennicks. Spaulding logged another 90-minute performance, finishing the night with three shots and a team-high seven recoveries.
• Midfielder Jake Rozhansky recorded his second assist in as many games at Gillette Stadium. The captain finished the night completing 79 of his team-high 83 passes, two of which were key passes.
• Forward and Homegrown Player Damian Rivera converted a 65^th-minute penalty kick for his first goal of the season. Rivera also had two key passes to go along with six recoveries and a team-high three tackles in a 90-minute performance.
• Defender Collin Verfurth earned his first start and second appearance of the season as the first teamer made his return from a lower body injury last weekend. Verfurth, who led the team in clearances with 73 during the 2020 campaign, played 90 minutes and had a team-high 10 clearances along with four recoveries, a blocked shot, and 95.6 percent passing accuracy.
• First-team goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. earned minutes with Revolution II for the third time this season, recording his second straight clean sheet.
• Midfielder Noel Buck made his first appearance since signing with the club on Tuesday. The 16-year-old Arlington, Mass. native tied for a team-high three shots on the night and won four of his five duels.
• Defender Pierre Cayet put in another 90-minute shift, recording a team-high three interceptions along with six clearances, six recoveries, five duels won, two tackles, and a blocked shot.
• Revolution II Head Coach Clint Peay made two changes to the Starting XI from last Saturday’s victory, with Earl Edwards Jr. and Collin Verfurth both starting in place of Joe Rice and Colby Quinones, respectively.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Jeremy Scheer
Assistant Referees: Justin Lopez (AR1), Eric Schreiber (AR2);
Fourth Official: Amilcar Sicaju;
Weather: 77 degrees and cloudy.

Scoring Summary:
NE – Justin Rennicks 1 (Connor Presley 1, Sean O’Hearn 1) 58’
NE – Ryan Spaulding 1 (Jake Rozhanksy 2) 61’
NE – Damian Rivera 1 (Penalty Kick) 65’

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Michel (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 4’
NTX – Gibran Rayo (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 24’
NE – Sean O’Hearn (Yellow Card – Bad Foul) 73’
NE – Earl Edwards Jr. (Yellow Card – Time Wasting) 90’+2

New England Revolution II: Earl Edwards Jr.; Sean O’Hearn (Tyler Freitas 76’), Collin Verfurth, Pierre Cayet, Ryan Spaulding; Jake Rozhansky ©, Michel (Hikaru Fujiwara 68’), Noel Buck (Dennis Ramirez 78’); Damian Rivera, Connor Presley (Michael Tsicoulias 76’), Justin Rennicks (Ryan Sierakowski 68’).

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Rice, Francois Dulysse.

North Texas SC: Colin Shutler; Michael Maldonado, Alisson, Caiser Gomes, Kazu (Hope Avayevu 65’); Rio Ramirez, Derek Waldeck ©, Dominick Hernandez (Blaine Ferri 76’); Bernard Kamungo (Collin Smith 65’), Gibran Rayo, Alex Bruce (Rickson van Hees 83’).

Substitutes Not Used: Richard Sánchez, Thibaut Jacquel.