RICHMOND, Va. — Louisville City FC on Saturday continued its unbeaten start to the season, using an 81st-minute penalty kick by veteran midfielder George Davis IV to top the Richmond Kickers by a 1-0 score at City Stadium.
In his return from Canada’s U-23 squad, Mark-Anthony Kaye earned the penalty before Davis IV stutter stepped, then slotted a shot right of Richmond goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky for the go-ahead goal. A win improved LouCity’s record to 2-0-1 (7 points) early in its USL campaign.
“I was just confident,” Davis IV said. “I asked to have the ball and put it in the net. There’s a lot of guys capable of doing it. I happened to be the one to step up and do it. Great effort by Mark to earn the penalty. That’s another three points, and it’s good to get on the score sheet.”
• HIGHLIGHTS | See the top plays from Saturday’s game
Other than on Davis IV’s penalty, LouCity found Richmond a tough team to break down defensively. The Kickers conceded 54 percent of possession to the visitors and were out-shot by a 13-7 margin, but they never gave in on the run of play.
Richmond received a stellar effort from Klenofsky, the goalkeeper on loan from Major League Soccer’s DC United. He made five saves, including one in the 56th minute when Richmond native Brian Ownby — a former Kickers player — put a shot on frame. Klenofsky impeded the ball’s path, and it rolled off the post rather than into the net.
Ownby led all players with five shots in his homecoming. Davis IV had two, as did Kaye and midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo.
“A big congratulations to the players, because I thought we had a lot of possession, and I thought we showed a lot of patience,” said LouCity coach James O’Connor. “I think at times we needed to perhaps show a little bit more game understanding, but it’s really difficult when you play against that formation. Great credit to the guys. I’m really, really pleased.”
• WATCH | Postgame reaction from Davis IV, Coach O’Connor
LouCity nearly had another penalty kick opportunity, as midfielder Richard Ballard made a run into the box in the 26th minute and went down after contact with Conor Shanosky, a Richmond defender who played previously for the boys in purple.
The club nearly scored twice on set pieces as well. A well-placed corner kick fell to DelPiccolo in the 34th minute, when he attempted a volleyed shot that went flew wide right. Defender Sean Totsch also tried a bicycle kick on a corner in the 77th minute that was saved.
Finally, LouCity broke through a few minutes later to remain one of five USL Eastern Conference teams without a loss as of the final whistle. The club is back in action April 15 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Louisville Slugger Field.
Game Summary
Match: Richmond Kickers vs. Louisville City FC
Date: April 8, 2017
Venue: City Stadium
Kickoff: 5:05 p.m.
Weather: 67 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 7,603
Man of the Match: Tim Dobrowolski
Scoring
Richmond Kickers (0, 0, 0)
Louisville City FC (0, 1, 1)
Goals
Louisville City FC: 81’ George Davis IV penalty kick.
Lineups
Richmond Kickers: 26- Eric Klenofsky, 33- Maxim Tissot, 5- Conor Shanosky, 15- Mallan Roberts, 18- Alex Lee, 21- Christopher Durkin, 8- Evan Lee (75’ 9- Oliver Minatel), 16- Patrick McCann, 4- Fred Owusu Sekyere, 28- Samuel Asante (75’ 71- Luiz Fernando), 20- Mikey Minutillo (60’ 11- Anthony Grant)
Subs not used: 1- Marcel DeBellis, 3- Chris Odoi-Atsem, 10- Sunny Jane, 27- Raul Gonzalez
Head coach: Leigh Cowlishaw
Louisville City FC: 12- Luke Spencer, 23- Richard Ballard (71’ 11- Niall McCabe), 10- Brian Ownby (77’ 7- Mark-Anthony Kaye), 22- George Davis IV, 80- Speedy Williams (85’ 8- Guy Abend), 36- Paolo DelPiccolo, 6- Tarek Morad, 4- Sean Totsch, 19- Oscar Jimenez, 24- Kyle Smith, 28- Tim Dobrowolski
Subs not used: 13- Micah Bledsoe, 18- Paco Craig, 3- Sean Russell, 14- Ilija Ilic
Head coach: James O’Connor
Discipline
Richmond Kickers: 25’ Evan Lee- yellow card, 44’ Alex Lee- yellow card
Louisville City FC: 10’ George Davis IV- yellow card,
Officials
Referee: Danielle Chesky
Assistant Referee 1: Justin Howard
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Davis
4th Official: Max Smith
