Forward Luke Spencer’s penalty kick deep in stoppage time Wednesday propelled Louisville City FC to a 2-1 win over the Rochester Rhinos and a crucial three three points late in the United Soccer League season.
On a night the second-place Charlotte Independence fell, LouCity increased its lead to six points — but only after some late drama at Slugger Field.
Defender Oscar Jimenez’s free kick nicked off a Rhinos defender’s hand in the box, leading to Spencer’s penalty try. He placed it to the goalkeeper’s left, and the final whistle blew seconds later.
“Absolutely huge three points,” said coach James O’Connor. “Massive. Really is. It’s a massive three points.”
In its third season, LouCity’s chasing its first top seed in the USL Cup Playoffs. For the overall regular-season crown, the club’s now just two points back of Western Conference leader Real Monarchs SLC. Both sides have five games left.
LouCity and Rochester scored a goal apiece in the first half, with midfielder George Davis IV delivering a rocket of a shot to put the home side up in the 23rd minute. Rhinos forward Jochen Graf equalized in the 43rd minute, and the score remained deadlocked from there until Spencer’s strike.
“You go 10 for 10 in training, but in the game — especially this game when it’s late and it decides the match — it’s a lot of pressure,” Spencer said. “I just tried to simplify that and be as confident as possible.”
“Fantastic composure at the end to send the keeper the wrong way, so obviously delighted for Luke and all the boys,” O’Connor added.
LouCity out-shot the Rhinos 13-6, and Rochester managed just one shot on frame — it’s goal-scoring chance. But the Rhinos didn’t stick exclusively to the park-the-bus mentality often showcased by the 2015 USL champions, creating a somewhat open game, especially early.
It benefited LouCity on Davis IV’s goal, with his shot rifled between defenders. Davis IV registered his fifth goal on the season, while Lancaster’s 10 pace the boys in purple.
“It’s something that we talk about in training all the time — being patient, waiting for your moments, sticking to the process,” Davis IV said. “I didn’t think it was our best half of soccer but that’s how it is sometimes. What’s important is that we kept fighting, we kept pushing and finally got that last chance.”
Game Summary
Match: Louisville City FC vs. Rochester Rhinos
Date: Sept. 20, 2017
Venue: Louisville Slugger Field
Kickoff: 7:35 p.m.
Weather: 85 degrees, Sunny
Attendance: 6,698
LouCity Man of the Match: George Davis IV
Scoring
Louisville City FC (1, 1, 2)
Rochester Rhinos (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Louisville City FC
George Davis IV (23’)
Luke Spencer (90+5’)
Rochester Rhinos
Jochen Graf, assist to (44’)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 1 Greg Ranjitsingh, 24 Kyle Smith, 19 Oscar Jimenez, 4 Sean Totsch, 15 Sean Reynolds, 6 Tarek Morad, 36 Paolo DelPiccolo, 8 Guy Abend, 22 George Davis IV, 14 Ilija Ilic (9 Cameron Lancaster – 12’ (12 Luke Spencer – 69’), 10 Brian Ownby (7 Mark-Anthony Kaye – 69’)
Subs not used: 28 Tim Dobrowolski, 80 Devon Williams, 18 Paco Craig, 23 Richard Ballard
Head coach: James O’Connor
Rochester Rhinos: 23 Tomas Gomez, 15 Joe Farrell, 3 Ryan Felix, 25 Sergio Campbell, 7 Ryan James, 2 Ray Lee (4 Bradley Kamdem – 71’), 17 Wal Fall, 11 Kenardo Forbes, 27 Julian Buscher (6 Christiano Francois – 58’), 13 Mike Garzi (24 Rayanne Boukemia – 86’), 12 Jochen Graf
Subs not used: 33 Dan Lynd, 8 Brandon Beresford, 22 Jalen Brown, 5 Dover Jordan
Head coach: Bob Lilley
Discipline
Rochester Rhinos
Ray Lee, yellow (45’)
Ryan James, yellow (61’)
Jochen Graf, yellow (73’)
Tomas Gomes, yellow, (88’)
Joe Farell, yellow (90+4’)
Stats
Louisville City FC / Rochester Rhinos
Shots: 13 / 6
Shots on target: 2 / 1
Possession: 52.4% / 47.6%
Passes: 423 / 382
Corners: 4 / 4
Fouls: 9 / 19
Officials
Referee: Jon Freemon
Assistant Referee 1: Johann Pedolzky
Assistant Referee 2: Paul Terry
4th Official: Aaron Hernandez
