HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (July 2, 2023) — Orlando City B (8-6-2, 27 points) battled to a 5-3 victory on Sunday night over FC Cincinnati 2 (4-8-3, 16 points) at NKU Soccer Stadium. The Lions were backed by braces from Juninho and Jack Lynn, the former netting his second and third goals of the year, all of which have come against FC Cincinnati 2, while the latter extended his team lead with his eighth and ninth finishes of the season.
The match also saw Shak Mohammed tally the first assist of his professional career while Jhon Solís added his second helper of the year. The victory serves as the second for the Lions over FC Cincinnati 2 this campaign, having taken a 4-0 shutout victory in the two sides’ last meeting on June 11 at Osceola County Stadium.
Orlando City B now turns its attention to its first visit to Alabama, set to take on Huntsville City FC on Sunday, July 9 at Joe Davis Stadium in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Scoring Summary:
30’ David Garcia (Bret Hasley) – CIN 1, ORL 0
FC Cincinnati 2 took the lead off a free kick from Bret Hasley that was whipped in from the left side of the pitch, finding the head of David Garcia in the area for the finish.
39’ Juninho (Shak Mohammed) – ORL 1, CIN 1
The Lions pulled level with Shak Mohammed receiving the ball on the right flank and dropping a ball back to Juninho, who would proceed to beat two FC Cincinnati 2 defenders while driving into the box before firing his shot into the top left corner of the net.
46’ Ryder Mills (Matthew Dreas) – CIN 2, ORL 1
The home side regained the lead with Matthew Dreas pouncing on a misplayed ball in the Lions’ defensive half, driving into the box before finding Ryder Mills on the right flank. Mills then proceed to loft his shot into the top right corner of the net for the finish.
54’ Ryder Mills (Philip Horton, Isaiah Foster) – CIN 3, ORL 1
The Orange and Blue added another with Isaiah Foster finding Philip Horton on the left flank, who crossed a ball into the area finding the foot of Ryder Mills who was able to redirect it in for the finish.
55’ Matthew Dreas (OG) – CIN 3, ORL 2
The Lions pulled one back with Juninho driving into the area, finding Franco Pérez on the left flank. Pérez then whipped in a cross that bounced off a pair of FC Cincinnati 2 defenders before trickling into the back of the net.
70’ Juninho (Jhon Solís) – ORL 3, CIN 3
The visitors pulled level once more with Jhon Solís finding Juninho at the edge of the area, who took just a trio of touches before creating enough space to fire his shot into the top right corner of the net to secure a brace on the night.
72’ Jack Lynn – ORL 4, CIN 3
City took its first lead of the contest with Franco Pérez getting in behind the FC Cincinnati 2 defense, taking it down the left flank with his initial shot being denied by goalkeeper Evan Louro. The rebound from Pérez would also be denied, but Jack Lynn was able to collect it and send his shot straight into the back of the net.
75’ Jack Lynn (Juninho) – ORL 5, CIN 3
The Lions doubled their advantage with Juninho getting free yet again at the middle of the pitch, dribbling into the box before threading ball in behind for a running Jack Lynn who was able to slot his shot past Evan Louro for the finish.
Match Notes:
- Jack Lynn netted his eighth and ninth goals of the campaign to extend his team lead.
- Juninho scored his second and third goals of the year for Orlando City B, all of which have come against FC Cincinnati 2. The Vasco da Gama product also tallied his third assist of the year on Jack Lynn’s second finish of the night.
- Jhon Solís notched his second assist as a Lion.
- Shak Mohammed tallied the first assist of his professional career.
- Head Coach Martín Perelman made two changes from his starting lineup at the midweek, with Alejandro Granados and Zakaria Taifi reentering the fold.
