HARRISBURG, PA (August 2, 2016)
- New York Red Bulls II put an emphatic end to its two-game losing streak with a 5-0 rout on the road against Harrisburg City Islanders, 5-0. Vincent Bezecourt scored twice while Anatole Abang, Dan Metzger and Zoumana Simpara also added goals.
With the win, Red Bulls II improves to 13-3-5 on the season and overtakes Louisville City FC for first place in the Eastern Conference. The clean sheet was NYRB II's eleventh of the season, and goalkeeper Rafael Diaz's third of 2016.
Red Bulls II opened the scoring on a penalty kick in the first half, after Junior Flemmings was dragged down in the box. Abang stepped up to the spot and sent his PK straight down the middle for his fourth goal of the USL season.
Metzger doubled the lead in the 64
th
minute, driving his shot into the lower-left corner of the goal from 20-yards out, his third goal of the season.
Eleven minute later, Simpara extended the lead to three. Bezecourt unleashed a shot that was stopped, but not held by goalkeeper Keasel Broome, and the 18-year-old Malian youth international knocked it in from close range for his first professional goal.
Bezecourt put the game out of reach two minutes later, when Flemmings sliced a pass to the back post where the Frenchman finished his first goal of his professional career.
In the 86
th
minute, Bezecourt bagged his brace with a highlight-reel goal. The 23-year-old St. Francis College product split two defenders and smashed a left-footed shot from a difficult angle past the keeper at the far post.
Red Bulls II returns home to Red Bull Arena on Friday, Aug. 12 and hosts Orlando City B at 7 p.m. ET (
TICKETS
).
Scoring Summary (Assists in parenthesis):
NY:
Anatole Abang (PK) 27'
NY:
Dan Metzger (Florian Valot) 64'
NY:
Zoumana Simpara 76'
NY:
Vincent Bezecourt (Junior Flemmings) 78'
NY:
Vincent Bezecourt 86'
Discipline Summary:
HAR:
Joshua Hughes, Caution 27'
NY:
Anatole Abang, Caution 45+'
HAR:
Jose Barril, Caution 66'
NY:
Mason Deeds, Caution 69'
Lineup:
NY:
Rafael Diaz, Justin Bilyeu, Tim Schmoll, Zach Carroll, Mason Deeds (Ryan Mingachos, 75'), Speedy Williams, Dan Metzger, Florian Valot, Junior Flemmings (Vincent Bezecourt, 73'), Brandon Allen (Zoumana Simpara, 68'), Anatole Abang
Subs not used:
Xavier Kennedy, David Najem
