FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Orlando City B secured its first win of the season with a 2-0 win over New England Revolution II at Gillette Stadium on Friday.
Moises Tablante was vital in the match, assisting on both goals to boost OCB up the standings. The first goal came in the 66th minute. USF graduate Jonathan Rosales found Tablante, who was able to set up Wilfredo Rivera. The second came in stoppage time when Tablante managed to retain possession under pressure and squared the ball in for Kenji Tanaka, who headed it home, completing the win and a phenomenal performance for the Orlando City academy.
New England was dominating the match, but in the 38th minute, things changed. Ryo Shimazaki earned his second yellow card after pulling back Tablante.
Until that point, the baby Revs were dominating the match and looking like they’d surely win the game. With eight shots, the only thing stopping New England was its own inaccuracy, shooting off target for six of those shots. That kept OCB in the match, and in the second half, the Young Lions would capitalize on their man advantage.
The second half was a completely different game with Orlando looking dangerous and had some excellent early looks. Six minutes into the half Julian Kennedy put his header just wide of goal before Tablante forced a stunning save, he looked up and shot only for Joseph Rice to make a save at full stretch in the 57th minute.
It was all Orlando, and they managed a critical win to get off the mark for the season. The win lifts OCB to seventh while New England Revolution II goes to the bottom of the league, yet to score a match.
(Photo: USL League One)
Florida Soccer Report 