2024 Match Reports

FCC 2 battles NYCFC II to 1-1 draw, falls 4-3 in penalty-kick shootout

FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Evan Louro prepares to try and stop a penalty kick. Photo by David Starcher.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY – FC Cincinnati 2 (10-4-2) came back from a 1-0 deficit to draw New York City FC II (6-3-4) by a final score of 1-1 at Scudamore Stadium. However, the Baby Blues earned an extra point by winning the penalty kick shutout after the end of regulation, 4-3.

FIRST HALF

The Young Pigeons had a chance in the 18th minute to open the scoring off a corner kick when center back Matthew Leong headed a ball off the crossbar. The rebound was then saved by FCC 2 keeper Evan Louro to keep it a 0-0 game.

In the 30th minute, NYCFC II broke through via a goal from star striker Taylor Calheria, who was fed a through ball from Samuel Owusu, made a spin-move in the box, and slotted the ball past Louro to make it 1-0 Baby Blues.

The Orange and Blue’s best chance of the half came in the 44th minute, after some combination play from Guilherme Santos and Kenji Mboma Dem, as Dem was able to slip by the defense and force NYCFC goalkeeper Will Meyer to make a save, keeping it a 1-0 scoreline.

FCC 2 trailed the Young Pigeons in shots in the first 45 minutes nine to seven, and shots on target, four to three.

Going into halftime, the scoreline favored NYCFC II, 1-0.

SECOND HALF

The Orange and Blue tied the game up in the 59th minute, with a strike by Santos via an assist from Amir Daley, making it 1-1.

As the second 45 minutes rolled on, both sides battled for possession, and each tested opposing goalkeepers Louro and Meyer.

In the 87th minute, just moments after seeing a yellow card, FCC 2 center-back London Aghedo was sent off after being shown a second yellow card, leaving Cincinnati down to 10 men in the remaining minutes of the match.

Deep into stoppage time, NYCFC II looked to find a winner, as substitute winger Julian Lacher played a ball into the box but was covered up by Louro, stopping the Baby Blues from finding a winner.

Neither team could find a second goal, as the match finished 1-1.

The teams went to a shootout to decide who would earn an extra point, the deciding penalty saw center-back Brian Schaefer have his PK attempt stopped by Meyer, to win the shootout for NYCFC II.

REVIEW OF THE GAME

The scoreline reflected the performance, In the first half FC Cincinnati 2 was the second-best team on the field. The Orange and Blue were able to turn up the intensity in the second 45 minutes, though, and find an equalizing goal, as they were the better side for the majority of the second half.

Head coach Tyrone Marshall summed up the match perfectly in his postgame press conference.

“First half I thought we weren’t as aggressive as normal,” he said. “Second to everything, a little lackadaisical in terms of our approach. In the second half, we made an adjustment at halftime and brought some more energy onto the pitch, where we could be aggressive on the outside. You saw it pay a dividend, we’re being really aggressive on the outside, got balls in, and then we’re on the front foot, So the biggest thing for us to take away is the second half, that’s the energy we want to start with and finish with.”

At halftime, substitutes Yair Ramos Perez and Moises Tablante came into the game, both making a huge difference in terms of energy and intensity for FCC 2.

With the three-match homestand now over, the Orange and Blue were able to collect seven of a possible nine points and remain undefeated in their last five games. One of the key points taken from this stretch has been the team’s ability to get results at home, and not give away points.

“The biggest takeaway is, uh, again, we’re not giving away points,” Marshall said. “We’re getting points. Um, I thought that the group, for the most part, you know, played really good, some good soccer over the three-game span that we had at home. It’s always important that we talk about making it a fortress at home, try to get maximum points. Unfortunately, we didn’t, but seven out of nine, I’ll take that any day. We’ll keep going, keep plugging away and we’ll see if we can keep getting better because ultimately we want to be in a good situation coming towards the end of the season.”

The final stat line from the night for shots saw both NYCFC II and FCC 2 register 14 on the night, with eight on target for Cincinnati and seven for New York City.

Picking up their second draw of the season, FCC 2 now has 32 points on the season, three behind Philadelphia Union II in first place in the Eastern Conference.

FC Cincinnati 2 Lineup

(3-4-1-2)

GK: Evan Louro

D: London Aghedo (Red Card, 87′), Brian Schaefer, Gael Gilbert

M: Amir Daley, Nico Benalcazar, Peter Mangione (Stefan Chirlia 60′), Stiven Jimenez (Yair Ramos Perez 46′), Isaiah Foster (Moises Tablante 46′)

F: Kenji Mboma Dem (Jesus Castellano 77′), Guilherme Santos

New York City FC II Lineup

(4-2-3-1)

GK: Will Meyer

D: Chris TianLong Tiao, Matthew Leong, Samuel Owusu, Steven Bednarsky (Nicholas Kapanadze 90+6′)

M: Jonathan Jimenez (Julian Lacher 75′), Piero Elias, Maximo Carrizo, Jake Rozhansky, Ronald Arevalo (Camil Azzam Ruiz 90+6′)

F: Taylor Calheira

Scoring Summary:

NYC – Taylor Calheira (Owusu) 30’

CIN – Guilherme Santos (Daley) 59’

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