Louisville City FC earned a difficult point against the Charleston Battery in a 2-2 draw at home on Friday night. Los Morados will have a full week of preparation as attention turns to next Saturday’s home contest against rivals FC Cincinnati in the final regular season installment of the Dirty River Derby.
What Happened?
With a shot at redemption for Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to Toronto FC II, Louisville City were back in action against the Eastern Conference’s fourth-ranked Charleston Battery at Slugger Field.
Six minutes into the match, the two sides saw its first card of the night when an egregious kick from the Battery’s Atualla Guerra knocked City midfielder Kyle Smith to the ground. Only a yellow card was shown.
The night’s scoring sheet was opened in the 14th minute when Guerra found teammate Patrick Okonkwo, who then slotted the ball past Louisville City ‘keeper Greg Ranjitsingh to give his side the 1-0 lead.
No more than four minutes of play would pass before Cameron Lancaster’s brilliance would be displayed yet again.
After collecting a pass from forward Ilija Ilic, Lancaster turned and fired a shot past Charleston goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper and into the back of the net, tying the match at one goal apiece. Lancaster’s 17th strike of the season gave the Englishman sole possession of first place in the Golden Boot race.
Another breakdown in City’s backline would ensue in the 21st minute when another Guerra’s run towards the goal line led to an open pass in the penalty box, where the Battery’s Nico Rittmeyer regained the visitors’ lead.
Shortly before the half, Louisville City were back on the offense. A 41st minute cross from midfielder Niall McCabe found a jumping Cameron Lancaster, whose header would yet again tie the match.
Both sides entered the half knotted at two.
The “Boys in Purple” nearly started the second 45 with a strike when McCabe’s 49th minute shot far post looked like a beauty, though the attempt was tipped out of play by Charleston’s Cooper.
With the game still knotted at two in the 70th minute, Ranjitsingh would come through strong as Charleston attempts rained in for the next five minutes of play. The City keeper held his ground during a number of shots on target, preventing any breakthroughs from the visitors.
Neither side would record another goal on the night as Louisville City splits a point with the visiting Battery. Up next for the club is the final regular season bout in the Dirty River Derby as City hosts rival FC Cincinnati at Slugger Field. Kickoff is set for Saturday, September 8 at 7:30 p.m.
The Key Points:
- With yet another brace, Louisville City forward Cameron Lancaster tallied his 17th and 18th goals of the season, giving him a two-goal lead in the Golden Boot race.
- Having earned a point in the draw against the Battery, Louisville City sits at second in the Eastern Conference standings with 47 points entering Saturday.
- For the second time this week, City used just one substitute throughout the entire match. Head coach John Hackworth attributed the efforts from the starting 11 for the lack of late-game subs.
Injury Report:
OUT – Brian Ownby
OUT – Magnus Rasmussen
Louisville City FC 2 : 2 Charleston Battery
Friday, August 31, 2018
Louisville Slugger Field | Louisville, KY
80 degrees / rainy
Attendance: 6,971
Scoring Summary:
CHS – Patrick Okonkwo 14’ (assist – Ataulla Guerra)
LOU – Cameron Lancaster 18’ (assist – Ilija Ilic)
CHS – Nico Rittmeyer 21’ (assist – Atualla Guerra)
LOU – Cameron Lancaster 41’ (assist – Niall McCabe)
Disciplinary Summary:
CHS – Ataulla Guerra, yellow 6’
CHS – Vincenzo Candela, yellow 38’
LOU – Oscar Jimenez, yellow 62’
CHS – Jay Bolt, yellow 65’
CHS – Taylor Mueller, yellow 75’
Starting XI (4-3-3): Greg Ranjitsingh (GK); Kyle Smith, Paco Craig, Sean Totsch, Oscar Jimenez; Devon “Speedy” Williams, Paolo DelPiccolo (c), Niall McCabe, Ilija Ilic (Luke Spencer 73’), George Davis IV; Cameron Lancaster
Bench: Shaun Francis, Tim Dobrowolski, Alexis Souahy, James Sands, Jose Carranza, Richard Ballard
