Louisville City FC hosted Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Wednesday night, dropping their first contest at Slugger Field in the USL Regular Season in a 0-1 loss. Riverhounds SC midfielder Kenardo Forbes scored the lone goal on the night in the 79th minute to hand his side the win.
The match was the team’s fourth in 11 days in all competitions.
What Happened?
The opening 15 minutes saw both sides work their way into the match with chances few and far between.
Riverhounds SC was first to test the opposition ‘keeper with a breakaway chance in the 23rd minute for midfielder Christiano Francois. Getting past the City defense, Francois closed down on goal only for goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh to make a crucial double save to keep the score level.
Just over ten minutes later, Ranjitsingh was at it again with his heroics. A half chance fell for Riverhounds SC’s Thomas Vancayezeele and the midfielder produced a sweet strike that seemed destined for the back of the net, only for Ranjitsingh to meet the effort and save the scoreline once more.
At the halftime interval, City was locked up at zero with no goals for either side.
The second was a cagey affair as City pushed for the first goal of the match. Reinforcements in the form of Brian Ownby, Pat McMahon, and Cameron Lancaster were brought on for Shaun Francis, Oscar Jimenez, and Ilija Ilic, but City could not break through.
Instead, Pittsburgh hit first on the counter in the 79th minute off a goal by Kenardo Forbes. As a cross come into the box, Forbes was first to the ball and put a shot on frame from inside the box. Deflecting off a defender on the way, the shot somehow snuck through a pile of bodies to give the visitors the lead.
LouCity tried it all from left, right, and central positions but Riverhounds SC would only bend, not break, and at the full-time whistle, their 0-1 advantage would be enough to take three points from Louisville.
Next up, LouCity stays home at Slugger Field when the team hosts New York Red Bulls II on Saturday, June 30 with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. in Louisville. The match marks the end of a run of five games in 14 days for the “Boys in Purple,” who are also still alive in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup. Tickets for Saturday’s contest start at just $16 and are available by calling (502) 384-8799, option 2, or online at www.loucity.com.
The Key Points:
- Midfielder Kenardo Forbes scored the game’s only goal in the 79th minute
Injury Report:
OUT – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)
OUT – Luke Spencer (knee)
Louisville City FC 0 : 1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Slugger Field | Louisville, KY
84 degrees / sunny
Attendance: 7,126
Scoring Summary:
PGH – Kenardo Forbes 79’
Disciplinary Summary:
PGH – Mo Dabo 75’
LOU – Paco Craig 85’
Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Greg Ranjitsingh (GK); Oscar Jimenez (Pat McMahon 74’), Sean Totsch, Paco Craig, Kyle Smith; Paolo DelPiccolo; Shaun Francis (Brian Ownby 63’), Devon “Speedy” Williams, George Davis IV, Magnus Rasmussen; Ilija Ilic (Cameron Lancaster 78’)
Bench: Chris Hubbard, Tim Dobrowolski, Alexis Souahy, Niall McCabe
