Sean Totsch scored a first-half penalty kick and Stas Korzeniowski scored a second-half equalizer, as Louisville City FC and Rhode Island FC played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night in Pawtucket, R.I.
The draw sees Louisville City (9-8-6, 33 points) remain steadily in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Rhode Island (8-8-5, 29 points), meanwhile, remains in eighth position. LouCity has seven regular-season games remaining.
“We want to win the game. We need to be winning those games. But I’m also proud of the fight,” LouCity interim head coach Simon Bird said, noting that his team showed, “grit” after conceding the equalizer in the 48th minute.
Totsch scored from the penalty spot in the 18th minute for his second goal of the season and first in league play. The veteran defender, who will turn 35 in 11 days, has made a habit of scoring from the spot in his 10 seasons with Louisville City — he has now converted 16 of the 17 penalty kicks he has attempted in his 12-year USL Championship career, not including shootouts, all with his current club.
“We have a number of guys on the team that we trust when it comes to taking the penalties,” Totsch said. “It was my night to step up and take it. And, I guess I did what I had to do.”
In just his seventh start of the season, Quenzi Huerman made a notable impact. The Frenchman drew the penalty Totsch converted, drawing a handball on a shot toward goal.
Early in the second half, Korzeniowski capitalized on a swiftly constructed Rhode Island buildup with a fortunate finish, as the ball caromed off of his leg, looping over the outstretched arms of LouCity goalkeeper Danny Faundez.
The former Philadelphia Union II striker joined the club on loan just nine days ago.
Though the timing of the goal was disappointing, Bird was pleased with his team’s response after conceding.
“You come out at halftime and the messaging is to be on the front foot and to take the game to them and they score two minutes in,” Bird said. “(In) games gone by we’ve maybe crumbled and not had the strength, the mental strength, to continue. But so I’m proud in that aspect that we ground through some really difficult moments in the game.”
The game also saw the LouCity debut of Ryan Schewe. The goalkeeper, who joined LouCity on loan from Sporting Kansas City this week, replaced Faundez in the 69th minute, after Faundez left the game with an apparent lower-body injury.
Schewe was forced into one save — the only LouCity save of the night — and was relieved to see a what might have been a Rhode Island stoppage-time winner ricochet off his left post.
“In all honesty, you don’t get to choose how you make your debut,” Schewe said of Faundez’s injury and his opportunity. “You’ve just got to be ready. Things happen and I just had to be ready for it. And, going forward, like I told the guys, I just want to win, win every game, and that’s my whole mentality.”
Overall, neither side offered much in the way of scoring chances. Both teams finished with just two shots on target. There were 35 combined touches in the opposition box, per Opta, with Rhode Island taking 22 of them. LouCity finished with the higher expected goal value (1.41 to 0.95).
LouCity now turns its attention to Tuesday’s Prinx Tires USL Cup semifinal against San Antonio FC, and a short turnaround. The team will travel Sunday and train on Monday in Texas before Tuesday’s game.
“We’ve got a big squad and we’re going to need a lot of different bodies on Tuesday. It’s a quick turnaround with the travel as well,” Bird said, noting that “the regen process starts now,” before adding that he is “fully confident” in his team.
Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at San Antonio’s Toyota Field.
Game Summary: Rhode Island FC vs. Louisville City FC
Date: September 5, 2026
Venue: Centreville Bank Stadium — Pawtucket, R.I.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 64 degrees, cloudy, light rain
Scoring
Rhode Island FC (0, 1, 1)
Louisville City FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Rhode Island FC:
48′ Stas Korzeniowski (Jojea Kwizera)
Louisville City FC:
18′ Sean Totsch (penalty)
Lineups
Rhode Island FC: 1 – Koke Vegas (c), 15 – Frank Nodarse, 5 – Grant Stoneman (89′ 3 – Aldair Sanchez), 24 – Karifa Yao (45′ 18 – Osman Foyo), 22 – Nick Scardina, 77 – Amos Shapiro-Thompson (69′ 16 – Eric Klein), 4 – Hugo Bacharach, 8 – Leo Afonso (81′ 7 – Dwayne Atkinson), 14 – Yutaro Tsukada (69′ 10 – Agustín Rodríguez), 37 – Stas Korzeniowski, 17 – Jojea Kwizera
Unused substitutes: 29 – Jacob Castro; 2 – Dani Rovira
Head coach: Khano Smith
Louisville City FC: 12 – Danny Faundez (69′ 29 – Ryan Schewe); 2 – Aiden McFadden, 32 – Kyle Adams (c), 4 – Sean Totsch, 5 – Brandon Dayes (56′ 3 – Jake Morris), 23 – Sam Gleadle (56′ 15 – Manny Perez), 31 – Kevon Lambert (56′ 8 – Taylor Davila), 27 – Evan Davila, 25 – Jansen Wilson, 21 – Quenzi Huerman, 14 – Tola Showunmi (81′ 9 – Chris Donovan)
Unused substitutes: 7 – Ray Serrano, 13 – Amadou Dia, 47 – Mukwelle Akale, 99 – Cooper Conley
Interim head coach: Simon Bird
Stats Summary: Rhode Island FC / Louisville City FC
Shots: 15 / 10
Shots on Goal: 2 / 2
Expected goals: 0.95 / 1.41
Possession: 59.7% / 40.3%
Fouls: 11 / 20
Offside: 0 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Discipline Summary:
Rhode Island FC:
66′ Khano Smith (yellow card)
90+5′ Jojea Kwizera (yellow card)
Louisville City FC:
50′ Aiden McFadden (yellow card)
51′ Quenzi Huerman (yellow card)
63′ Sean Totsch (yellow card)
90+5′ Evan Davila (yellow card)
Referee: John Matto
