FC Cincinnati 2 earned three points Sunday night at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium against Huntsville City FC in a 2-1 win. The Orange and Blue (9-4-1, 28 points) move into second place in the Eastern Conference, just one point back of Philadelphia Union II for the top spot, while Huntsville City FC (2-9-3, 9 points) remain 15th in the conference standings.
Guilherme Santos opened his goal scoring account for FC Cincinnati 2, striking in the 27th minute to give the Orange and Blue a 1-0 lead. Kenji Mboma Dem tallied his second assist of the season and has now either scored or assisted in three consecutive matches since returning from injury.
Mboma Dem doubled the lead for the Orange and Blue in the 70th minute with a perfectly placed free kick from the top of the Huntsville box. Mboma Dem now has three goals in four MLS NEXT Pro appearances for FC Cincinnati 2.
Huntsville City FC pulled one back in the 81st minute as Forster Ajago converted from the spot to get the Boys in Blue on the board. The Orange and Blue were able to hold Huntsville from finding an equalizer over the final nine minutes of the match to claim their ninth win of the season.
AS IT HAPPENED
CIN: Guilherme Santos, GOAL – 27’ (1-0) – Kenji Mboma Dem won possession near midfield and evaded Huntsville pressure with a quick exchange of passes with Peter Mangione. Mboma Dem measured a long ball in towards Guilherme Santos and the forward moved past the Huntsville defense with a burst of speed. A good touch and quick shot saw Guilherme roll his first goal for the Orange and Blue past Elliot Panicco.
CIN: Kenji Mboma Dem, GOAL – 70’ (2-0) – In addition to providing the final ball in on the Orange and Blue’s opening goal, Mboma Dem notched a goal on the night from a free kick just outside the Huntsville penalty area. Mangione and Mboma Dem lined up over the dead ball as the pair assessed options, but in the end, it was Mboma Dem with a left footed curling effort up and over the wall to beat Panicco at the near post.
HNT: Forster Ajago, GOAL (PK) – 81’ (2-1) – Huntsville looked to regain a foothold in the match and did so in the 81st minute through forward Forster Ajago, who was able to convert from the penalty spot. Ajago drew the foul in the area before netting his six of the season.
FC Cincinnati 2 are back in action next Sunday, June 30, as they host New England Revolution II at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium at 6 p.m. ET. Tickets can be claimed through the FC Cincinnati App with a SeatGeek account. The match will also stream live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs Huntsville City FC
Date: June 23, 2024
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium
Kickoff: 7:06 p.m. ET
Weather: 83 degrees, clear
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 1-1-2
HNT: 0-1-1
CIN – Guilherme Santos (Mboma Dem) 27’, Kenji Mboma Dem 70’
HNT – Forster Ajago (PK) 81’
LINEUPS
CIN: Paul Walters, Isaiah Foster, London Aghedo, Brian Schaefer, Gaël Gibert, Amir Daley (Moises Tablante 78’), Malik Pinto (Peter Mangione 26’), Nico Benalcazar (C), Kenji Mboma Dem (Jesus Castellano 71’), Stiven Jimenez (Yair Ramos 78’), Guilherme Santos (Ben Stitz 78’)
Substitutes not used: Hunter Morse, Alejandro Guido, Juan Machado, Yeiner Valoyes
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
HNT: Elliot Panicco, Joseph Skinner (Tomas Ritondale 61’), Nick DePuy (Fernando Ciceron 46’), Faiz Opande (Joel Sangwa 77’), William Perkins, Axel Picazo (Jordan Knight 61’), Isaiah Jones, Ethan O’Brien, Jonathan Bolanos (C), Woobens Pacius (Adem Sipic 46’), Forster Ajago
Substitutes not used: Simon Jillson, Oliver Wright, Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, Dominic Wilson
Head Coach: Christophe Berra
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/HNT
Shots: 13 / 10
Shots on Goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 1 / 2
Corner Kicks: 1 / 6
Fouls: 14 / 21
Offside: 0 / 1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
HNT – Forster Ajago (Yellow card) 58’
CIN – Brian Schaefer (Yellow card) 80’
HNT – Fernando Ciceron (Yellow card) 83’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Joshua Encarnacion
Ast. Referees: James Duling, Kevin Huet
Fourth Official: Tre Gaither
