SMITHFIELD, R.I.— If Union II were looking for some payback for their last meeting with Revolution II, they achieved that and then some. In arguably their strongest performance of the season and most goals since their win over Carolina Core back in April, Union II defeated New England 4-0 behind an Eddy Davis hat trick and first goal of the season from Kellan LeBlanc.
Returning to the Union II lineup were strikers Malik Jakupovic and Eddy Davis, who were absent in the previous match after playing in the first team’s friendly against Houston. Giovanny Sequera got the start in the midfield, playing on the left side, while Matheus De Paula, returning from a two-match absence, was at right back.
The rest of the lineup was fairly typical with Kellan LeBlanc, Timo Mendoza, and Óscar Benítez in the midfield. Jordan Griffin was announced at left back, but Kaiden Moore took the field in his place due to an apparent injury for Griffin. Finn Sundstrom (returning from injury), and Rafael Uzcátegui rounded out the back line at center back. Pierce Holbrook got the nod again in goal.
Revolution II started out with the bulk of the possession and chances, with Holbrook put to work early. It seemed at first that Union II would have their work cut out for them, though Union II saw their first chance in the 13th minute on a free kick after some nice build up to finally get on their attacking end.
It would be Union II that found a surge, however, when Davis went on a run toward goal after a great ball started by Sundstrom and delivered by De Paula on a perfect through-ball. Davis finished the job with a goal from a difficult angle for his third of the season in the 17th minute.
Moore was shown the match’s first yellow of the season for a foul in the 19th minute, but Union II were finding their stride. Jakupovic went on a break toward goal in the 22nd minute, taking the shot himself, but it was easily saved by the keeper, Max Weinstein. It did not take much longer, however, for Union II to find the back of the net again. Benítez got the ball loose to Jakupovic, who sent the ball up for LeBlanc, who scored in the 23rd minute for his first goal of the season, making it 2-0. For Jakupovic, who has three goals on the season, it was his first assist.
Following the hydration break, Chris Harmon made his first change of the match, replacing Sundstrom with Andrew Craig in the 33rd minute. This substitution, though unfortunate for Sundstrom, proved to be key in the events of the match. Revolution II came out with a lot of pressure, with Craig making a big block right away after taking the field. The home side got a big chance late in the first half after a foul just outside the box, leading to a free kick by Carlos Zambrano that missed. New England then saw their first booking in the 44th minute when Damario McIntosh pulled Sequera down.
Despite some chances as the first half was ending, Revolution II were kept at bay for the first 45 minutes, with Union II taking the 2-0 lead into halftime with their best showing in some time.
Revolution II nearly got on the board early in the second half when Jake Shannon sent a dangerous header on goal toward the far post, but Craig got in the way so Cristiano Oliveira could not knock it in. They continued to bring pressure, led by Zambrano, with attempt after attempt, but Union II held strong on defense.
Revolution II then saw the next booking as Zambrano was shown a yellow for fouling Sequera in the 56th minute.
Play paused around the 60th minute as the assistant referee on the sideline was down for a couple minutes after Craig blasted the ball into him while attempting to clear the ball out, but he was able to continue.
Union II continued their strong showing as in the 65th minute, Craig took the ball up himself, blowing by everyone, then passed it to Davis whose shot from the left, once again a difficult angle, made it 3-0. It was Craig’s first pro assist. Revolution II answered with four more attempts on goal, but nothing came to fruition.
Harmon’s next substitutions came in the 74th minute as Sal Olivas and Willyam Ferreira replaced Jakupovic and LeBlanc. Almost immediately after, Union II nearly gave up a goal, but Craig and Holbrook thwarted the attempt.
Davis then secured his first hat trick to cap off a stellar performance after Ferreira threaded a ball forward that Davis ran on to, outrunning two defenders, putting him one-on-one with the keeper. His shot got by Weinstein for his fifth goal of the season, tying Stas Korzeniowski for the team lead, and putting Union II up 4-0 in the 84th minute.
The final substitutions for Union II came in the 85th minute, where John Ruf and Abdoulaye Diop replaced Davis and Benítez.
As the game was winding down, tempers seemed to be boiling over a bit and Revolution II’s frustration was showing. Gabriel Dahlin got away with fouling Sequera during a free kick, appearing to stomp on him, which the referee did not see, but then did get called for another foul on Sequera moments later. Despite some last-ditch efforts from New England, Union II held on and Holbrook got his first clean sheet of the season.
For Union II, it was a match of quality over quantity. They had only five shots, but all five were on target. In contrast, Revolution II had 30 shots, with nine on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net. Holbrook made nine saves and Craig had a noteworthy performance, along with Uzcátegui, and Union II had 14 clearances to Revolution II’s zero.
With the win, Union II jumped two places in the standings to ninth, and will next face Huntsville City on Sunday, July 12 at 3:00 PM at Subaru Park, which should see the return of former Union II captain Nick Pariano.
Main article photo courtesy of Philadelphia Union II.
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