By Daniel O'Leary
Columbus Crew 2’s 6-1 victory Sunday afternoon over Orlando City B marked the team’s third straight win, outscoring opponents 14-3 over the three-game stretch. The win helped solidify the Black & Gold’s position atop the MLS NEXT Pro standings.
Crew 2 scored early and often, beginning in the 16th minute with a goal scored by Noah Fuson and assisted by Alexandru Matan.
Just four minutes later, a foul in the box gave the captain, Marco Micaletto, a chance to score from the penalty spot. Micaletto rocketed his shot past Orlando’s keeper, Javier Otero, doubling the lead to 2-0.
Fresh off last night's debut with the First Team against Charlotte FC, Mohamed Farsi was able to connect with Jacen Russell-Rowe in the 25th minute, with Russell-Rowe scoring his 10th strike of the season.
Russell-Rowe extended his streak of consecutive games with a goal to nine, dating back to Crew 2’s match on April 10 at Philadelphia Union II. The forward scored his second goal of the match in the 32nd minute, this time assisted by Noah Fuson, registering his second brace of the season.
The second half saw more of the same from the hosts, with Crew 2 pushing the action. In the 52nd minute Ryan Telfer secured the Black & Gold's fifth goal of the match, heading in a bouncing ball off a corner kick.Â
Nicolas Taylor scored the lone goal for the road team in the 72nd minute assisted by Alejandro Granados Torres.Â
Isaac Angking subbed on for the Black & Gold in the 77th minute and scored minutes later to widen the margin of victory for the home side.Â
Crew 2 maintained 57.5% of possession, outshooting and outpassing Orlando by comfortable margins. The Black & Gold registered 26 shots, nine of them on goal.Â
Patrick Schulte tallied six saves, earning his sixth win of the MLS NEXT Pro season.Â
The Black & Gold are back in action on June 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Monroe Community College against Rochester New York FC. The match will be available live via a free stream at MLSNEXTPro.com.
