Enoch Mushagalusa scored for the second game running, returning star winger Brian Ownby assisted him, and Louisville City FC broke through late in the going Saturday to defeat Las Vegas Lights FC by a 1-0 score.
The clubs met for the first time at Lynn Family Stadium, where a crowd of 10,653 on hand for Pride Night reached its crescendo for the 77th-minute strike. To that point, LouCity dominated possession and had gone defensively without an opposing shot on target — but frustratingly hadn’t generated a scoring chance.
“You look at the atmosphere when the goal goes in, the stadium erupts,” said coach Danny Cruz. “You can feel it. I was really proud of the group getting three points at home. We needed it.”
LouCity (7-4-4, 25 points) wound up with a deserved three points, good for fifth on the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference table. The boys in purple hold games in hand on all but one squad ahead of them as the season nears its midway point.
Having netted the opener from distance in a midweek friendly with Germany’s FC Kaiserslautern, Mushagalusa had an easier assignment against Las Vegas (1-8-6, 9 points). Niall McCabe — on for his first league game since March 25 — played a ball through to Ownby, whose cross landed to Mushagalusa in the center of the box.
“I feel like I’m in a groove,” Mushagalusa said. “Last game, it was a good goal, and that helped me with confidence.”
McCabe entered as a 56th-minute sub, and Ownby followed in the 68th to mark his first appearance since June 4 due to a hamstring pull. Mushagalusa said it makes “a huge difference” to have Ownby on the pitch, adding that whenever his right side counterpart is in, he knows to run to the box for service.
“Honestly, I’m just doing anything in my power to help the team win,” Ownby said. “Thankfully Niall had a great through ball, and (Mushagalusa) was in the right spot.”
Rookie goalkeeper Oliver Semmle registered his league-leading seventh clean sheet on a night when stifling defense didn’t require him to make a save. Lights FC numbered only six touches in LouCity’s box, and two of the visitors’ 11 shots were taken from inside the area.
The biggest opposing chance came against the run of play when Tabort Preston rocketed a shot from the right wing in the 34th minute that hit the cross bar. Looking for the opener, City hit the post in the second half’s opening seconds as Dylan Mares looped a free kick into the box for a Wilson Harris header.
Quality looks largely weren’t there outside of those moments, with Mushagalusa’s goal the only “Big Chance” noted by Stats Perform.
“I think I sound like a broken record,” Cruz said. “It’s got to be better in the final third. I was obviously happy — Brian comes on and changes the game. He’s worked hard to come back, and we had to limit his minutes. All in all, another shutout for the group, but I’m not naive. I know we have to be better in the final third.”
After a run of three games in eight days — the friendly included — LouCity gets a week to recuperate leading into next Saturday’s trip to play first-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC
Date: June 24, 2023
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: 86 degrees, mostly sunny
Attendance: 10,653
Scoring
Louisville City FC (0, 1, 1)
Las Vegas Lights FC (0, 0, 0)
Goals
Louisville City FC:
77’ Enoch Mushagalusa (Brian Ownby)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 28 — Oliver Semmle, 13 — Amadou Dia, 4 — Sean Totsch, 6 — Wes Charpie, 15 — Manny Perez (56’ 19 — Oscar Jimenez), 12 — Tyler Gibson, 5 — Rasmus Thellufsen, 22 — Dylan Mares (56’ 11 — Niall McCabe), 77 — Enoch Mushagalusa (84’ 36 — Paolo DelPiccolo), 7 — Ray Serrano (68’ 10 — Brian Ownby), 14 — Wilson Harris (83’ 90 — Maarten Pouwels)
Subs not used: 18 — Danny Faundez, 8 — Carlos Moguel Jr.
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Las Vegas Lights FC: 1 — Leo Diaz, 21 — Alejandro Mitrano, 98 — Timothie Zali, 3 — Zach Carroll, 4 — Lucas Stauffer, 17 — Jacob Bushe, 22 — Andres Jimenez (74’ 9 — Pato Botello Faz), 10 — Justin Ingram, 20 — Eric Oteng (71’ 12 — Tyler Bagley), 45 — Emmanuel Ledesma (60’ 30 — Andrew Carleton), 8 — Tabort Preston
Subs not used: 13 — Andre Zulaga, 2 — Pablo Soares, 5 — Marcelo Lage, 19 — Daniel Rios
Head coach: Isidro Sanchez
Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Las Vegas Lights FC
Shots: 12 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 0
Possession: 61.4% / 38.6%
Fouls: 14 / 13
Offside: 3 / 5
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
28’ Ray Serrano (yellow)
36’ Dylan Mares (yellow)
Las Vegas Lights FC:
60’ Emmanuel Ledesma (yellow)
65’ Justin Ingram (yellow)
88’ Leo Diaz (yellow)
Referee: Melvin Rivas
