An end-to-end match saw Fort Lauderdale CF fall 1-0 away against the New England Revolution II in its eighth game of the USL League One season. The match at Gillette Stadium kicked off at 8:30 p.m. ET and aired live on ESPN+.
Fort Lauderdale fielded an unchanged lineup from last weekend’s match against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, with 18-year-old Harvey Neville and 20-year-old Josh Penn making their second and third starts for the team, respectively.
The opening 15 minutes proved to be a scrappy affair as both teams committed a total of seven fouls. It wasn’t until the 16th minute that the first, and most decisive, attempt was taken as New England scored following a free kick delivery from the middle of the pitch that was headed in by defender Pierre Cayet.
Almost immediately after, Fort Lauderdale was awarded a penalty in the 19th minute as Abel Caputo drew a foul inside the box. Shaan Hundal, seeking his fifth goal of the season, stepped up to take the penalty but his attempt was saved by New England goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. who dove the right way to deny Hundal.
Both teams went back and forth in the first half, creating multiple chances to add a goal to the scoresheet. In the 43rd minute, Drake Callender, making his fourth start for the team, made an impressive reaction save on a powerful shot from inside the box to deny New England a second goal. Ultimately, neither side was able to convert its chances before the half came to a close, keeping the score at 1-0.
The second half saw Fort Lauderdale create a plethora of opportunities to try and level the score as Penn and Venton Evans delivered threatening shots on target as the squad continued to put pressure on the hosts.
After the 70th minute, both teams traded blows in an exhilarating attacking display that resulted in end-to-end attacks for the final 20 minutes of the match. While Fort Lauderdale threatened in attack, the performances of Callender and the center back pairing of Ethan Hardin and Modesto Mendez also helped keep the team in the game.
Unfortunately for Fort Lauderdale, it wasn’t enough as New England held on to its slim lead to finish off the game as 1-0 victors.
Next Up for Fort Lauderdale is a home matchup against Forward Madison FC at the DRV PNK Stadium on Tuesday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
