Recap: Revs II 3 – 2 Cincinnati 2

Revolution II battle back to earn three points at home

Revolution II returned to action Sunday afternoon after picking up their first MLS NEXT Pro victory over Rochester in their previous match.

There were three changes to the lineup as Jose Ítalo, Colby Quinones, and Noel Buck feature in Sunday’s starting lineup. Buck made his first appearance for Revs II since signing a first-team contract in January.

Forward Arquimides Ordonez put Cincinnati on the board just fourteen minutes into the game. Defender Morgan Marshall got the ball rolling as his headed pass in Cincinnati’s defensive half found Ordonez.

Ordonez easily pushed the ball up the right side of the pitch and through the Revs II midfield and pushed into the Revolution II box, where he pulled back a shot that sailed into the net. Avionne Flanagan sent a shot to the right side of the net as it sailed past a diving Jacob Jackson and into the back of the net to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead in just 22 minutes of action.

Luck came Revs II way in the 58th minute as Ryan Lima’s shot deflected off a defender and landed at the feet of 17-year-old Academy midfielder Jack Panayotou. Panayotou sent a sneaky shot past the keeper as it slowly rolled into the back of the net. Then in the 66th minute, Lima scored an absolute golazo.

After receiving Sean O’Hearn’s pass in the midfield, Lima turned towards goal and sent a lobbing shot from distance that dipped down into the back of the net. An absolute banger of a goal from the 20-year-old forward to tie the game at two apiece.

Revs II first substitution came in the 73^rd minute as Trevor Zwetsloot came on for Esmir Bajraktarevic. Defender Ben Reveno also received a yellow card in the 83^rd after committing a foul on Ordonez.

It looked like Revs II were heading to their second penalty shootout, but Panayotou got in front of the Cincinnati defense and onto the end of Jake Rozhansky’s pass into the 6-yard-box. Panayotou then tapped the ball into the back of the net to give Revs II a 3-2 lead in stoppage time.

Sunday’s 3-2 win lifts Revolution II to second place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight points on a 2-0-1 record. Revs II will look to keep their hot streak going as they travel to Exploria Stadium to take on Orlando City B on Sunday, April 24 at 6:30 PM.