VAUGHAN, Ont. – Stefano Bonomo was the man on the spot for the New York Red Bulls II at Ontario Soccer Centre on Saturday, converting a pair of penalty kicks to help the reigning USL Cup champions continue their playoff push with a 2-1 victory over Toronto FC II. TFCII was the first to break through in what was a wide-open first half, opening the scoring in the 35th minute when a quick passage of play culminated in a connection between Jordan Hamilton and Canadian international Jay Chapman. Found in stride by Ben Spencer, Hamilton dragged a pass from the left across the area and into the path of Chapman who sent it back where it came from and past NYRBII keeper Evan Louro for his first league goal of the season. The advantage was short-lived however as in the 42nd minute, an errant pass from Tsubasa Endoh was intercepted by New York’s Florian Valot just outside the Toronto box where he was then taken down by Lars Eckenrode. Bonomo stepped up to take the ensuing penalty kick and beat TFCII keeper Angelo Cavalluzzo with a low shot inside the right post. Just before the half, Eckenrode was at the center of another penalty call when he was forced to make a sliding challenge on Vincent Bezecourt after the standout midfielder worked his way through several Toronto defenders to create another opportunity in the area. In a near carbon copy of his first conversion, Bonomo picked out the bottom right corner, placing his effort outside the reach of Cavalluzzo, who dove the correct way for a second time. With the win and Pittsburgh’s home loss to Louisville earlier in the day, New York improved its unbeaten streak to an Eastern Conference-best six games while improving to 11-11-5 overall (38pts) and 2-5-5 on the road. Toronto dropped to 5-16-7 overall (22pts) and 3-5-5 at home with a second consecutive loss.  

Scoring:
35’ – TOR – Jay Chapman (Jordan Hamilton)
42’ – NY – Stefano Bonomo (penalty)
45’ – NY – Stefano Bonomo (penalty)

• #TORvNY: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. Though John Wolyniec’s side entered the match without a loss since the beginning of August, the victory over Toronto carried added significance for a NYRBII squad that has struggled away from home in 2017. The win snapped a six-game road winless streak that dated back to a 1-0 triumph over the Richmond Kickers on June 3. Entering the night, New York’s 0.73 points per game on the road ranked ahead of only Richmond, Toronto and the Harrisburg City Islanders in the Eastern Conference and given that the road to another USL Cup will likely take the team away from the friendly confines of MSU Soccer Park, Wolyniec and company will relish any type of performance that resembles the type of dominance that saw New York finish with a 13-1-2 record and a +22 goal differential on the road during a record-breaking 2016 campaign. The extra confidence will be a welcome addition for a squad slated to face FC Cincinnati and a USL regular season single-game record crowd next week at Nippert Stadium.  
   
• 2. Saturday’s victory for New York came in part on the strength of another superb performance for Bonomo at the top of the formation, continuing a trend that has seen the 24-year-old forward serve as a revitalizing presence for the squad after missing the first 20 games of the season due to injury. Bonomo scored in his return to action against Louisville on July 29 and though Red Bulls II ultimately came up short in that contest, the team is unbeaten since (4-0-2) as the Cal product has helped resurrect the side’s quest to repeat as champions. With two more goals in Toronto, Bonomo ran his tally to six in seven appearances since re-entering the lineup, a total that is now tied for third on the team to this point in the season.
   
• 3. Despite scoring first for the seventh time in its last nine home appearances, Toronto was unable to secure its first win over the Red Bulls II, falling to 0-4-1 in the series. Even with the result, Jason Bent’s side has still recorded seven points – nearly one-third of its season total - against teams that entered their clash with TFCII in playoff position since the beginning of August. The Reds will wrap up the road portion of their schedule with a trip to Harrisburg next week before hosting conference-leading City FC (September 27) and playoff contenders Bethlehem (October 6) and FC Cincinnati (October 14) to close the year. Stay tuned for more playoff developments to come out of the Ontario Soccer Centre.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Stefano Bonomo, New York Red Bulls II – Bonomo coolly converted from the spot twice in quick succession and nearly completed the hat trick in a win that created some distance between New York and the playoff line

Upcoming Games:
Toronto FC II at Harrisburg City Islanders – September 16, 7 p.m. ET, FNB Field
New York Red Bulls II at FC Cincinnati – September 16, 7 p.m. ET, Nippert Stadium