FC Cincinnati 2

Orange and Blue defeat Crew 2 behind Chirila's brace in thrilling second half comeback

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FC Cincinnati 2 earned three points Thursday night against Columbus Crew 2 with a 4-3 win at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. With the result, the Orange and Blue stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race with two matches remaining in the regular season.

FCC 2 and Crew 2 scored a combined four goals in the opening 17 minutes of the match which proved a back-and-forth affair. Quinton Elliot found the back of the net for the visitors in the 3rd minute, and again in the 17th. Stefan Chirila and Andres Dávila tallied goals of their own just a minute apart with Chirila striking in the 14th minute and Dávila heading home in the 15th.

Crew 2 recaptured the lead shortly after the hour mark through a Keesean Ferdinand goal, but it was the Orange and Blue who scored two late goals in dramatic fashion to claim a win against Columbus. Chirila bagged his second of the night in the 88th minute to bring the match level at 3-3, and Noah Adnan, in the sixth and final minute of stoppage time, headed in the winner from a corner kick taken by Chirila.

FC Cincinnati 2 will host New York Red Bulls II in the last home match of the regular season on Wednesday, October 1 at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are available through the FC Cincinnati App with the match also streaming live on MLSNEXTPro.com.

FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs Columbus Crew 2
Date: September 25, 2025
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium | Highland Heights, Kentucky
Kickoff: 7:34 p.m. ET
Weather: 70 degrees, cloudy

SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-FT
CIN: 2-2-4
CLB: 2-1-3

CIN – Stefan Chirila (Mboma Dem) 14’, Andrés Dávila (Hurtado) 15’, Stefan Chirila (Uculmana) 88’, Noah Adnan (S. Chirila) 90’+6

CLB – Quinton Elliot (Forfor) 3’, Quinton Elliot (Forfor) 17’, Keesean Ferdinand (Elliot) 65’

LINEUPS
CIN: Slade Hall, Will Kuisel (Tega Ikoba 75'), Andrei Chirila, Noah Adnan, Dilan Hurtado (Yair Ramos 83’), Stiven Jimenez, Stefan Chirila, Peter Mangione (C) (Carson Locker 82’), Kenji Mboma Dem, Andrés Dávila (Yamir Uculmana 63’), Ademar Chavez (Ben Augee 63’)

Substitutes not used: Nathan Crockford, Brandon Kristel, Yorkaeff Caicedo, Dominick Lester

Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall

CLB: Stanislav Lapkes, Keesean Ferdinand, Christopher Rogers (C), Gianmarco Di Noto, Prince Forfor (Brent Adu Gyamfi 90’+3), Ibrahima Sy, Isaac Tortola (Nico Rincon 46’), Quinton Elliot, Anthony Alaouieh, Pharrell Willis (Chase Adams 76’), Kalie Auvray (Kevin Gbamble 66’)

Substitutes not used: Keller Abbott, Cristian Ortiz, Malcom Palacios, Alex Gimple, Dylan Randazzo

Head Coach: Federico Higuain

STATS SUMMARY: CIN/CLB
Shots: 10 / 14
Shots on Goal: 6 / 6
Saves: 3 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Fouls: 14 / 8
Offside: 3 / 1

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CLB: Ibrahima Sy (Yellow Card) 37’
CIN: Andrés Dávila (Yellow Card) 47’
CIN: Yair Ramos (Yellow Card) 90’+2

OFFICIALS
Referee: Abdu Razzaq Juma
Ast. Referees: Donald Williams, Aaron Riley
Fourth Official: Race Williams