Revolution II 1 - 4 North Texas SC

Clint Peay and Revolution II returned to action on Saturday evening as they traveled to Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to take on North Texas SC.

Revolution II looked to keep themselves floating above the USL League One playoff line as the 2021 regular season approaches an end. Revs II entered the match in 6th place with 37 points on the year. On the other hand, North Texas looked to enter the playoff picture as they sat just one spot below the playoff line in 7th place with 36 points.

There were two big changes to the starting XI as Tyler Freitas and François Dulysse would start the match in center back positions as regular starters Colin Verfurth served his suspension for yellow card accumulation, and Pierre Cayet recovered from a calf injury.

Things got off to an excellent start for Peay and crew as homegrown Justin Rennicks netted his fifth goal of the 2021 campaign after some spectacular give-and-go passing with defender Ryan Spaulding inside the box.

North Texas didn’t wait long to respond as Eddie Munjoma was able to take advantage of a misplay from François Dulysse and drove in towards the Revs II net. Defender Ryan Spaulding attempted to make up for the defensive mistake, but Munjoma sent a shot over Joe Rice and into the top of the net.

Revs II was handed a golden opportunity in the 27th minute as North Texas defender Mark Salas was shown red after tackling Justin Rennicks as he darted towards the North Texas goal. With over 70 minutes left in the game and up a man, things were looking great for Revolution II.

François Dulysse looked to make up for his earlier defensive mistake in the 39^th minute as he got on to a perfectly placed cross from Jake Rozhansky but had his headed shot trail just right of the post and out for a goal kick.

Rookie Edward Kizza looked to find a go-ahead goal in first-half stoppage time but had his long-range shot denied by goalkeeper Richard Sánchez.

With the game tied at one apiece and up a man, Revs II needed to dig down deep if they wanted to leave Choctaw Stadium with all three points in this crucial matchup.

Luck came Revs II way again in the 53rd minute as Lucõw would knock Justin Rennicks to the ground inside the box and were awarded a penalty kick. Damian Rivera would be the one to take the penalty as he looked to add on to his team-leading six goals as he approached the spot. Rivera would send the shot into the top right corner of the net. As Revs II celebrated, whistles began to blow as the head and assistant referees conversed briefly. Moments later, the penalty goal was disallowed due to encroachment.

Bernard Kamungo would come up big for North Texas in the 57th as he received Blaine Ferri’s through ball inside the box and snuck it past the Revs II defense and Joe Rice. Down 2-1 to a depleted North Texas was a place no one wanted to be. With 30 minutes left in the match, Revs II needed to pull something out of their hat if they wanted to secure a result on the road.

Noel Buck looked to tie it up for Revs II in the 82nd minute as he drove the ball into the box and past the North Texas defense. Buck aimed for the left side of the net as he pulled back a shot. Veteran keeper Richard Sánchez was just able to get a hand on it as he deflected the ball away from goal as he denied what looked to be a sure goal from the young midfielder.

Gibran Rayo stabbed the dagger in Revs II heart just a minute later as he broke through the Revs defense, cut back, sending his defender sliding on the turf and putting the ball into the back of the net. For a side playing with 10-men, North Texas sure didn’t play like they were down a man.

Bernard Kamungo added insult to injury in the 89th minute as he received North Texas’ defensive clearance at midfield and broke free from his defender as he pushed the ball down the pitch. Midfielder Jake Rozhansky attempted to rush back and help in defense, but it was too late as Kamungo would chip the ball over Joe Rice and into the back of the net, giving a 10-manned North Texas SC a 4-1 lead over Revs II.

A sickening result for Revs II as they give up four unanswered goals. Three of which occurred while up a man.

Saturday’s loss pushed Revs II back to 6th place in the USL League One Standings. Thankfully, for Revs II, Forward Madison came back against FC Tucson and secured a 2-2 draw, which prevented Tucson from leap-frogging Revs II out of the playoff picture.

With one game left in the 2021 regular season, Revs II needs to find a way to keep seventh and eighth-placed FC Tucson and TFC II at bay. Revs II will need a win in their season finale on Friday, October 29th, as they travel north of the border to take on eighth-placed TFC II at 4:00 PM. Revs II would also benefit from an FC Tucson loss as they take on the Richmond Kickers on Saturday, October 30th at 10:00 PM ET.