In front of a Louisville City FC record crowd of 10,062 fans, showcased on ESPN3 as the United Soccer League’s Game of the Week, LouCity threatened throughout Saturday night before coming away with a point in the standings in its second meeting with FC Cincinnati.
Louisville volleyed 13 shots on its rival at Slugger Field — five of them on goal — but couldn’t convert to put a swift end to the River Cities Cup. Still, with a 0-0 draw, the first-place club extended its unbeaten streak in United Soccer League matches to 14 fixtures and improved its record to 10-1-5.
“Tonight was special,” said team president Amanda Duffy. “We hit a benchmark attendance figure we’re been working toward since last season, and this shows we continue to make great strides in this city. The Louisville fans and the Louisville community stepped up in a big way to show their support of this team and organization.”
Added midfielder Niall McCabe: “I really hope they all enjoyed themselves, and it’s a shame we didn’t get the win for them. But hopefully they come out and support us again in the next game.”
On the heels of a 3-2 LouCity victory April 16 in its first meeting with FC Cincinnati, LouCity controlled possession in the first half, with multiple short corner kicks turned into solid chances.
Mitch Hildebrand notched pair of saves before fending off two more shots in the second half. LouCity’s best chances late came via free kicks.
Working with five minutes of stoppage time, Cameron Lancaster, a 74th-minute substitute, came on to fire a shot stopped by Hildebrand. Minutes later, with fans along both baselines on their feet at Slugger, midfielder Aodhan Quinn bent another strike just wide right of the net.
At the other end, Greg Ranjitsingh posted his second clean sheet in three games.
“For us, I think it was great to see so many people inside Slugger,” said coach James O’Connor. It was such a big crowd for us. It was great. I felt the first half, it was some really good football. I felt we needed to score. I thought we had some good chances. I felt like if we had scored, it would have opened the game up a little bit.
“…That was the one disappointment — that we didn’t manage to capitalize on the chances that we created.”
Saturday marked a return to the starting lineup for Kadeem Dacres, who manned the right midfield spot and totaled three shots, often winning possession in the opposing half of the field. Dacres, LouCity’s third-leading scorer last year, earned Man of the Math honors for his effort.
Chandler Hoffman, the USL’s No. 2 scorer midway through the season, was the only other player to notch three shots.
“Coach gives me all the confidence in the world,” Dacres said. “When things are going good for me, he always pushes me to trust in my abilities — just do what you’re capable of doing. I’m thankful.”
LouCity and FC Cincinnati play once more, on July 23 at Nippert Stadium. With a win or draw, the club will win the season River Cities Cup series over its first-year USL rival.
Summary
Match: Louisville City FC vs. FC Cincinnati
Date: June 25, 2016
Venue: Slugger Field
Kickoff: 7:50 p.m.
Weather: Clear, 95 degrees
Attendance: 10,062
Man of the Match: Kadeem Dacres
Scoring Summary
LouCity (0, 0, 0)
FC Cincinnati (0 , 0, 0)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 13-Greg Ranjitsingh, 24-Kyle Smith, 2-Ben Newnam, 15-Sean Reynolds, 18-Paco Craig, 4-Aodhan Quinn, 8-Guy Abend (36-Paolo DelPiccolo 67′), 11-Niall McCabe (9-Camerson Lacaster 74′), 17-Chandler Hoffman, 77-Andrew Lubahn (12-Mark-Anthony Kaye 58′), 7-Kadeem Dacres (77′ 22-George Davis IV).
Subs not used: 1-Scott Goodwin, 6-Tarek Morad, 20-Enrique Montano.
Head coach: James O’Connor
FC Cincinnati: 1-Mitch Hildebrand, 3-Tyler Polak (24-Derek Luke 57′), 4-Harrison Delbridge, 8-Paul Nicholson, 15-Pat McMahon, 19-Corben Bone, 6-Kenney Walker (5-Ross Tomaselli 90′), 23-Andrew Wiedeman, 20-Jimmy McLaughlin (29-Antonio Hoppenot 83′), 10-Eric Stevenson (14-Omar Cummings 69′), 9-Sean Okoli (12-Evan Lee 90’+)
Subs not used: 30-Dallas Jay, 7-Luke Spencer.
Head coach: John Harkes
Stats Summary: LouCity / FC Cincinnati
Shots: 13 / 7
Shots on Goal: 5 / 2
Saves: 2 / 4
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls: 12 / 13
Offside: 0 / 3
Officials
Referee: Brandon Artis
Assistant Referee 1: William Gaither III
Assistant Referee 2: Jacob Herold
4th Official: Reiss Baxter
