In its first match back from a three-game road trip, Orlando City B (2-3-3, 9 points) earned its second consecutive clean sheet in a scoreless draw against Saint Louis FC (3-2-2, 11 points). Goalkeeper Earl Edwards, Jr. made two saves. First Team defender Seb Hines played his first minutes since undergoing knee surgery in March.
“First and foremost I think the players deserve a huge amount of credit and a massive pat on the back for the performance they put in tonight on the back of what’s been a really, really grueling schedule of late for us,” OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said. “Lots of games in a short space of time, three road games, travel. For them to go and perform like that, I’m really proud of them. I’ve just said to the guys the big positive tonight is it’s the second shutout in a row, which is really pleasing. Hopefully we can have many more of them as the season progresses.”
OCB controlled much of the run of play in the early going as midfielder Austin Martz used his excellent pace up and down the right wing. Martz created several strong chances and nearly found the back of the net but his shot from the edge of the area whizzed over the bar. OCB’s best chance came in the 30th minute when Martz laid the ball off for right back Zach Ellis-Hayden, who blasted a shot from just inside the box that rang off the post.
Fresh off his five-save shutout in Bethlehem, Edwards Jr. built on the strong form he has demonstrated in his first consistent game action since being selected in the third round of the 2015 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The Lions’ strong collective defensive performance limited his action but the San Diego, Calif., native came up with a huge during save stoppage time when he batted away a shot from point-blank range and swallowed the rebound.
“I thought Earl was good again. Pleasing thing tonight was that he didn’t have as many saves to make as he has in previous games, which is a positive,” Pulis said. “I thought he performed well, thought he commanded his box well. He’s been great.”
After undergoing successful arthroscopic knee surgery in March, defender Seb Hines returned to the pitch for the first half. The Wetherby, England, native won two tackles and completed over 88 percent of his passes. He was substituted off in favor of Conor Donovan to begin the second half.
In addition to Edwards Jr., Donovan and Hines, the match featured First Teamers Hadji Barry, Richie Laryea and Pierre Da Silva.
OCB has a two-week break before its next game on Saturday, May 13 at FC Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Nippert Stadium. The Lions return to Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, May 27, when they host the Charlotte Independence.
Tickets can be purchased for Saturday’s match against Charlotte at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/OCB/tickets or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
