Playoff hopes were on the line Friday night at Gillette Stadium and it was New England Revolution II that secured the vital three points following a 2-0 win over Orlando City B.
Revs II broke a two-game skid with the win, snapped a four-game unbeaten run for OCB, and moved to sixth in the Eastern Conference as the club inches closer to one of the four coveted playoff spots.
Unfortunately for OCB the loss marked the end of the club’s pursuit of a postseason appearance as the team needed to win all of its remaining games to climb out of the ninth spot in the East.
After a nip and tuck first 40 minutes, Revs II midfielder Malcolm Fry broke open the scoring late in the first half after capping off a decisive counter attack with a slippery finish at point blank.
That was just a sign of things to come as the home side continued to crowd OCB’s penalty box and ultimately doubled its lead 13 minutes into the second half.
Defender ítalo coolly slotted in his first goal of the season and Revs II second of the night after forward Ryan Lima found him unmarked in the box.
OCB needed three goals to keep its playoff hopes alive as a draw wouldn’t be enough, but Revs II looked to put the game out of reach by scoring a third goal.
After multiple chances and lackluster defending from the visitors, Revs II finished the match with 21 shots with 9 on target as opposed to 8 shots and two on target for OCB.
Forward Jack Lynn’s absence likely affected those numbers and OCB’s offense as the talisman has 15 goals on the season.
The Story: New England Revolution II stay in the playoff mix
Following an important 2-0 win over Orlando City B, New England Revolution II are now one point away from a playoff spot in the East.
The club moved to sixth in the standings and is tied with Inter Miami II on 32 points.
That being said, the teams ahead of Revs II still need to lose their upcoming matchups and Revs II need to capitalize by winning all of its remaining games.
This week’s win was a foot in the right direction for the club from New England, but much work still needs to be done in the coming weeks.
