Louisville City FC lost their first match of the 2018 season in a scrappy, 1-0 battle with Indy Eleven in front of 9,008 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
A late penalty kick from Indy Eleven’s Ayoze ultimately separated the two sides despite tremendous fight from the “Boys in Purple” on the afternoon.
What Happened?
Tight from the beginning, LouCity and Indy Eleven played out to nearly 80 scoreless minutes of action before a penalty was given against LouCity defender Paco Craig for apparently handling the ball in the box.
Stepping up to kick, Indy Eleven’s Ayoze sent LouCity ‘keeper Greg Ranjitsingh the wrong way to put the hosts in front. As the “Boys in Purple” fought their way back, their best chance of the night came at the end of five-plus minutes of stoppage time. Swinging a ball into the box, forward Luke Spencer watched as his header flashed just wide of the post and out.
The result sees LouCity’s record move to 5W-1D-1L as they prepare for a trip to Nashville on Sunday, May 13, kickoff slated for 6:00 p.m. ET.
The Key Points:
- A penalty kick from Indy Eleven’s Ayoze in the 79th minute separated the two sides
O’Connor’s Takeaways:
His initial reaction:
“Obviously, we’re very disappointed. I thought it was a very scrappy game. I think the outcome has been decided by the referee. For whatever reason, he’s decided to give a penalty there, which is bewildering to me, really. I think if that’s a penalty, then the one at the start of the second half where Indy blatantly handled the ball in their box isn’t given. There’s a real inconsistency there. For us, it’s really hard to swallow. That kind of thing is painful.”
On the first half:
“I thought at times we could’ve been a lot sharper on the ball. The field is quite difficult to play on. I think when you actually look at the quality of the turf, for us, it’s not really a great surface for us to try and pass the ball on. I thought Indy pressed well and their shape was good, but I thought the quality of our play at times needed to be better. We’ve been playing sharper and crisper than that.”
On the field:
“We’re not making any excuses. I think we’ve played on fields that are similar. It’s just when you look at the way our passing was today was off. The pitch didn’t help, but for our standards we need to play better, quicker, and sharper, and to receive the ball in better areas. It was a very scrappy game. It looked like it was going to be a nil-nil if I’m being honest. There was nothing really in the game. It wasn’t a great game. But, unfortunately, for us the game has been decided because the referee gave a penalty against us and I think I’m still struggling to understand how that can be given as a penalty and the one for them isn’t. If both are penalties, then you accept it, and this is part of the problem, when you get inconsistencies like that it becomes really hard to take.”
On facing forward:
“We’ll sit down on Monday and break down the game and go through it and then look to Nashville. But at the moment, it’s bitter disappointment because I feel as if that was very, very harsh.”
Injury Report:
OUT – Richard Ballard (stress fracture)
OUT – Shaun Francis (hamstring)
Indy Eleven 1 : 0 Louisville City FC
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
70 degrees / sunny
Attendance:
Scoring Summary:
IND – Ayoze (p) 78′
Disciplinary Summary:
LOU – Paolo DelPiccolo 37′
IND – Jack McInerney 67′
IND – Ayoze 79′
IND – Justin Braun 90+1′
LOU – Brian Ownby 90+1′
Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Greg Ranjitsingh (GK); Kyle Smith, Paco Craig, Sean Totsch, Oscar Jimenez; Paolo DelPiccolo (c); Devon “Speedy” Williams, George Davis IV, Magnus Rasmussen (Brian Ownby 46′), Cameron Lancaster; Ilija ilic
Subs: Tim Dobrowolski, Chris Hubbard, Luke Spencer, Niall McCabe, Alexis Souahy
