HARRISON, NJ - After finding themselves winless in the Keystone State, suffering back-to-back losses to both Philadelphia Union II and then getting steamrolled by Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4-1, the New York Red Bulls II limped home to Red Bull Arena looking to get back on track against Loudoun United, a team that John Wolinec's crew have yet to beat, but will face four more times this season.
Both losses featured a disturbing trend for John Wolyniec's crew, despite starting off in promising fashion only to make early mistakes that the team could not recover from.
Lapley Sees Red Early On
The Red Bulls started off very well, as both teams were looking for a much-needed win after suffering tough losses. However, in the 15th minute, Loudoun United forward Alioune Ndour rushed toward the goal, forcing goalkeeper Wallis Lapley to come out to defend, but the ball glanced off Wallis' hands where referee Jeremy Scheer presented him a red card for the errant handball. He would be replaced by Alex Bobocea.
Loudoun United pushed their numbers forward as the half was coming to a close, and was finally rewarded deep into stoppage time as Theodore Ku-DiPietro gets off a shot that manages to squeeze past Alex Bobocea's hands into the back of the net.
The Red Bulls II come out flying in the second half, just as they did in the first. There were some good scoring chances throughout, with Caden Clark leading the way before he was subbed off. The match a great end-to-end pace to it as Sebastian Elney was just about doing all he can to equalize the match but Loudon United goalkeeper Colin Miller kept him at bay. Just as the Red Bulls seemed to be gaining ground, disaster struck in the 64th minute. Defender John Tolkin was whistled for a handball in the penalty area, and Elvis Amoh calmly converted the penalty to put Loudon United up by two goals.
Not to be unbounded, the Red Bulls II began to mount a comeback as Preston Kilwein was able to get the Red Bulls II on the board in the 79th minute by scoring a nifty goal from the left side of the box to halve the deficit. However, it would be too little, too late for New York as Loudoun United safely closed out the match to get a huge win on the road, their second of the season, and extended the Red Bulls II losing streak to three games.
Final Thoughts
Playing their third match in a span of eight days, the Red Bulls sensed the urgency of this match right away, but have paid dearly with those mistakes that have seem to leave the team snakebitten during this three-match losing streak. They will have very little time to dwell on those losses as a Hartford Athletic side awaits them in a pivotal match that could possibly decide who advances in Group F on Saturday.
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