In its third match over an eight-day span, Louisville City FC found itself on the wrong end of fortune Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium, falling to Rhode Island FC by a 5-2 score.
LouCity created 26 chances to RIFC’s seven and attempted a season-high 29 shots. But the club failed to capitalize on enough opportunities en route to dropping its first home game in eight tries this year.
At 11-3-2, City remains atop the USL Championship table with 35 points as the 2024 campaign nears the halfway mark.
“There is obviously a lot of frustration in the result,” said coach Danny Cruz. “I felt we certainly created a lot of opportunities. I know that it obviously looks ugly at 5-2, but at the end of the day, I take responsibility. When we were down the way that we were down, I pushed, I changed the tactics to throw everything we could at them. I genuinely believed we would come back and win this game up until the final whistle blew.
“…It’s one you take on the chin for sure. There were things that were not in our control. There was a lot against us on the night.”
LouCity started strong, manufacturing at least four quality opportunities before Rhode Island’s opener. Sam Gleadle tallied three shots in the first 23 minutes, one of which was blocked from close range.
Against the run of play, RIFC’s Clay Holdstad smashed a shot from distance off the post and in in the 30th minute — and again City continued pouring on pressure to no avail, trying seven shots in the following 10 minutes.
Jojea Kwizera doubled the away side’s lead into first half stoppage time, taking a pass from right back Stephen Turnbull before darting at the City defense and firing the ball through a narrow window.
The second half was more of the same. Jake Morris, substituted on at half, made his presence known immediately by producing a pair of quick chances, one of which set up Gleadle for a shot in the box.
In the 67th minute, however, Rhode Island’s JJ Williams extended the lead to three, catching City off guard with a purposeful counter attack.
That’s when LouCity threw numbers forward. Dylan Mares cut the deficit to two with his first goal of the season, only to see Noah Fuson convert another RIFC counter.
City rippled the back of the net once again in stoppage time thanks to a Jake Morris free kick straight into the bottom corner. But Rhode Island punished City with its fifth and final goal coming from Isaac Angking in the 96th minute.
“Soccer is a cruel sport, and that’s why we love it,” said LouCity midfielder Davila. “First half, we controlled the game, created more chances, but the games are won or lost in the box. We gave everything. There is no good way to lose. It’s not like we played bad, and that hurts, but we have a game next week.”
LouCity will look to bounce back away from home when traveling to play sixth-place Birmingham Legion FC at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday.
Game Summary: Louisville City FC vs. Rhode Island FC
Date: June 22, 2024
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 8 p.m.
Attendance: 9,061
Weather: 91 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
Louisville City FC (0, 2, 2)
Rhode Island FC (2, 3, 5)
Goals
Louisville City FC:
85’ Dylan Mares (Taylor Davila)
90’+5 Jake Morris (Jorge Gonzalez)
Rhode Island FC:
24’ Clay Holstad (Stephen Turnbull)
45’+2 Jojea Kwizera (Stephen Turnbull)
67’ JJ Williams (Noah Fuson)
90’+1 Noah Fuson
90’+5 Isaac Angking (Joe Brito)
Lineups
Louisville City FC: 18 — Damian Las, 5 — Arturo Ordóñez (72’ 22 — Dylan Mares), 6 — Wes Charpie, 4 — Sean Totsch, 13 — Amadou Dia (46’ 3 — Jake Morris), 25 — Jansen Wilson, 17 — Taylor Davila, 23 — Elijah Wynder, 7 — Ray Serrano (62’ 21 — Jorge Gonzalez), 14 — Wilson Harris, 20 — Sam Gleadle (62’ 24 — Tola Shownumi)
Subs not used: 30 — Ryan Troutman, 2 — Aiden McFadden, 11 — Niall McCabe, 80 — Hayden Stamps
Head coach: Danny Cruz
Rhode Island FC: 22 — Jackson Lee, 3 — Stephen Turnbull, 15 — Frank Nodarse, 18 — Joe Brito, 24 — Karifa Yao, 12 — Clay Holstad, 17 — Jojea Kwizera, 21 — Kofi Twumasi (82’ 4 — Collin Smith), 23 — Marc Ybarra (83’ 80 — Isaac Angking), 9 — JJ Williams, 10 — Albert Dikwa (62’ 11 — Noah Fuson)
Subs not used: 7 — Prince Saydee, 14 — Mark Doyle, 19 — Kevin Vang, 30 — Nate Silveira
Head coach: Khano Smith
Stats Summary: Louisville City FC / Rhode Island FC
Shots: 29 / 11
Shots on Goal: 10 / 6
Possession: 63.6% / 36.4%
Fouls: 12 / 11
Offside: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 13 / 0
Discipline Summary
Louisville City FC:
3’ Amadou Dia (yellow)
45’+3 Danny Cruz (yellow)
57’ Ray Serrano (yellow)
Rhode Island FC:
56’ Albert Dikwa (yellow)
83’ Jackson Lee (yellow)
90’+4 Karifa Yao (yellow)
Referee: Kyle Johnston
