Inter Miami CF II suffered a 1-2 loss against Crown Legacy FC at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday night. The match featured a first professional career goal for 16-year-old Academy product Santiago Morales.
The Herons’ starting XI featured Owen Finnerty in goal; Israel Boatwright, Tyler Hall, Farid Sar-Sar and Cesar Abadia-Reda made up the back four; captain Lawson Sunderland, Alejandro Flores, Jack Pymm, Ricardo Montenegro and Miles Perkovich started in midfield; forward Bryan Destin lead the team’s attack.
It was Crown Legacy who scored first in the 18th minute, with a right footed shot from forward Luri Tavares towards the bottom right corner, coming off a cross from defender Jack Neeley at the left side of the box.
However, Inter Miami II did not back down and continued to fight with two scoring opportunities from Boatwright, with a right footed shot towards the right side of the goal and an on-goal header. The visiting team did strike again as minutes later they put another goal in the back of the net with a close-range shot by midfielder Christopher Hegardt, who was assisted by defender Nicholas Scardina.
Entering the second half, The Herons sought nearing scoring chances, notably with a left footed shot from Pymm. But hope was not yet lost as Miami scored in the 72th minute with a header by second half substitute Morales from the center of the box, his first professional goal, coming off a cross from Flores, marking his second assist of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
The scoreline held until the final whistle with Crown Legacy FC claiming the 1-2 victory.
Inter Miami II will now hit the road and travel to Huntsville, Alabama to take on Huntsville City FC on Sunday, August 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Joe Davis Stadium.
