MONTCLAIR, N.J. (April 14, 2017) – In the first match of its three-game road trip, Orlando City B (1-3-1, 4 points) fell, 3-1, to New York Red Bulls II (2-2-1, 7 points) at MSU Soccer Park. Albert Dikwa scored his second goal in as many games and Youmeni Jules made his professional debut.
“I’m disappointed for the players because I don’t think they deserved to be on the end of a 3-1 scoreline tonight. I was pleased with a lot of things tonight,” OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said. “I thought there were some really good individual performances but the players have learned a harsh lesson in how fine the margins are between winning and losing. We have to recover quickly and get ready for another game on Tuesday at Harrisburg.”
Red Bulls II got off to a quick start, forcing Earl Edwards, Jr. to make several great saves. Edwards Jr.’s best save came in the 14th minute when he sprawled to his left and got a single hand on Vincent Bezecourt’s header and cleared it off the line. Junior Flemmings found the back of the net in the 16th minute.
OCB fought back, though, and controlled much of the play the rest of the first half. Albert Dikwa, making his second consecutive start, showed tremendous skill as he worked up top with Michael Cox. In the 21st minute, Dikwa took a pass from Ryley Kraft, who made his third start of the season, and fired a shot that required a leaping save from Red Bulls II goalkeeper Evan Louro.
The Lions came up with a great team play for the equalizer in the 24th minute. After a nice display from Cox, Pierre Da Silva drove a perfectly placed cross to Dikwa, who drove a header into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
“I go through our team tonight and there were some really good individual performances," Pulis continued. "I thought Dikwa and Michael Cox were a threat for them all night.”
Despite the Lions’ strong response to the opening goal and their own equalizer, New York scored the eventual game-winner in first-half stoppage time. Bezecourt found David Abidor in the 87th minute to secure the victory for New York.
Moussa Sane entered the match in the 71st minute in place of Austin Martz. Sane was loaned from the First Team prior to OCB’s match against Charlotte on April 8. Defender Timbó made his OCB debut after joining the team in the offseason from Ottawa Fury FC.
OCB faces a quick turnaround when it visits the Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Lions then face Bethlehem Steel FC on Sunday before returning to Orlando City Stadium on April 27 to host Saint Louis FC. Tickets can be purchased for Saturday’s match against Charlotte at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/OCB/tickets or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
Scoring Summary:
NY - Junior Flemmings (Vincent Bezecourt) 16’
OCB - Albert Dikwa (Pierre Da Silva) 34’
NY - Vincent Bezecourt (Justin Bilyeu) 45+3’
NY - David Abidor (Vincent Bezecourt) 87’
Misconduct Summary:
NY - David Abidor (Yellow Card) 40’
OCB - Youmeni Jules (Yellow Cad) 54’
NY - Hassan Ndam (Yellow Card) 57’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City B - GK Earl Edwards, Jr., D Youmeni Jules, Scott Thomsen, ⓒ Zach Carroll, Timbó (Conor Donovan 90’), M Austin Martz (Moussa Sane 71’), Jordan Schweitzer, Ryley Kraft, Pierre Da Silva, F Michael Cox, Albert Dikwa
Substitutes: GK Jake Fenlason, M Paul Clowes, Joe Gallardo, F, Ben Polk
New York Red Bulls II - GK Evan Louro, D David Najem, ⓒ Justin Bilyeu, Hassan Ndam, Michael Murillo (Tim Schmoll 34’), M Arun Basuljevic, David Abidor, Vincent Bezecourt, F Zeiko Lewis (Kevin O’Toole 85’), Brandon Allen (Andrew Tinari 45’), Junior Flemmings
Substitutes: GK Xavier Kennedy, M Kazu Shigenobu, F Zach Ryan
Details of the Game
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Cloudy
April 14, 2017
Attendance: 722
Stats:
Possession:
OCB - 45.6 %
NY - 54.4 %
Shots:
OCB - 7
NY - 6
Saves:
OCB - 1
NY - 1
Corners:
OCB - 3
NY - 5
Fouls:
OCB - 11
NY - 10
