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GAMEDAY ROUNDUP: Bone Leads LouCity Past SKC II

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 08/19/20, 7:24PM EDT

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Flemmings, Asante stay hot as Phoenix downs Los Dos; Las Vegas earns first win against Tacoma

Louisville City FC put in its most comprehensive performance of the season to defeat Sporting Kansas City II, while Junior Flemmings scored his ninth goal of the season and Solomon Asante reached 40 regular season goals in the Championship to cap a 4-1 victory against the LA Galaxy II, and Las Vegas Lights FC claimed its first victory of the campaign as Junior Sandoval led the hosts past Tacoma Defiance in Wednesday’s action in the USL Championship.

LOUISVILLE CITY FC (4), SPORTING KANSAS CITY II (1)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – LouCity continued to find its form in a comprehensive victory against SKC II at Lynn Family Stadium on Wednesday night.

The hosts struck first in the 11th minute on the first real chance for either side. Antoine Hoppenot was released into space on the left side and cut back a cross that found Cameron Lancaster near the penalty spot, allowing the English forward to control with his chest and then drive home a low finish into the bottom-right corner of the net. Lancaster then almost played provider in the 26th minute as his give-and-go at the top of the penalty area gave Napo Matsoso a clear chance, but SKC II goalkeeper Gavin Krenecki smothered the opportunity.

LouCity added a second three minutes later, however, as Lancaster found Corben Bone breaking forward, and after the newcomer neatly sidestepped a defender he picked out a low shot to the right corner of the net from 20 yards to open his account for the club. The goal opened a flurry of action that saw Sporting quickly pull a goal back in the 32nd minute when Dillon Serna’s cross from the right was headed home by Sam Raben into the right corner of the net. Louisville replied again four minutes later, though, as Matsoso brilliantly wove past two defenders on the right before delivering a low cross that Bone clipped home first time into the bottom-left corner for his second.

Matsoso got onto the scoresheet himself eight minutes into the second half as a deep, angled cross from the left by Hoppenot found him in the right side of the penalty area, and his effort with the outside of his right foot squeaked home at the near post. Brian Ownby almost added a fifth in the 63th minute, but his first-time finish off a low pullback by Bone was saved by Krenicki, but the hosts saw out the remainder of the contest to move level on points with Saint Louis FC in Group E.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Corben Bone, Louisville City FC – Bone scored twice on his two shots on the night, completed 34 of 44 passes overall and won 7 of 11 duels and 2 of 3 tackles in midfield.

PHOENIX RISING FC (4), LA GALAXY II (1)

CARSON, Calif. – Solomon Asante notched a goal and two assists while Junior Flemmings scored his ninth goal of the season as Rising FC took victory against Los Dos at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Looking for its first road win of the season, Phoenix almost took the lead in the ninth minute when a long pass forward by Corey Whelan put Flemmings in behind the Los Dos defense, but LA goalkeeper Abraham Romero made a fine 1-on-1 save to keep the game scoreless. Romero was also sharp as he denied a low effort by Jack Barmby a few minutes later, but Flemmings broke the deadlock with his ninth game of the season as he beat the offside trap on a chipped pass over the top in the 24th minute cut back inside past a defender in the right side of the penalty area and beat Romero as he came off his line.

Rising FC almost doubled its lead on the half-hour mark as a counterattack sprang Santi Moar down the left side, and he shifted past his man before sending a shot to the far post that Romero got a piece of the send off the post and behind for a corner. Moar struck nine minutes before halftime, however, as Asante slipped him into the right channel breaking forward before the Spaniard lifted his finish into the left corner of the net.

Phoenix added a third just past the hour-mark as Asante picked up his second assist on day. The visitors recycled possession in midfield after a corner was cleared, and it came back out to the Ghanaian on the left. He cut past a defender, and then delivered a low cross with the outside of his right foot that found Jordan Schweitzer for a first-time finish at the near post. Los Dos pulled a goal back with 20 minutes to go as Augustine Williams got in behind the Rising FC back line thanks to a good through-ball by Jorge Hernandez and finished past Rising FC goalkeeper Zac Lubin.

Asante wrapped up the result in second-half stoppage time, however, with a simple finish that marked his 40th goal in the Championship’s regular season to go with his earlier assists.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC – Asante reached 40 goals in the Championship’s regular season with his late tally, added a pair of assists and finished the game with three key passes, completing 20 of 23 passes overall.

LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC (3), TACOMA DEFIANCE (1)

LAS VEGAS – Lights FC claimed its first victory of the season as goals by Rashawn Dally and Junior Sandoval helped lift the hosts past the Defiance at Cashman Field.

Hoping to rebound from defeat over the weekend, Tacoma thought it had taken the lead in the eighth minute when Marlon Vargas headed home a free kick from Danny Reynolds, but the offside flag was raised to deny the visitors. Las Vegas’ Junior Burgos then flashed a shot just wide of the right post from 20 yards eight minutes later, but in the 19th minute a cross by the El Salvador international was redirected into his own net by Tacoma defender Taylor Mueller.

Burgos went close to a second for Las Vegas with a curling shot that was parried away by Tacoma goalkeeper Christian Herrera, but off the rebound Yamikani Chester delivered a cross from the right to the top of the six-yard area that was put home by Dally on the half-hour mark. The Defiance tried to pull a goal back before the halftime break, but a low free kick by Alec Diaz looking for Abdoulaye Cissoko saw the latter’s shot blocked away to safety.

The second half opened more quietly, but in the 67th minute Lights FC added a third as Blake Frischknecht set up Junior Sandoval for a slotted low finish into the left corner from the center of the penalty area. Azriel Gonzalez pulled back a goal with six minutes to go as he capitalized on a long pass that was redirected by Alfonso Ocasio-Cortez in the penalty area and fell nicely for a finish into the left corner. That would be as close as the visitors got to a comeback, however, as Las Vegas claimed its first three points of the season.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Junior Sandoval, Las Vegas Lights FC – Sandoval had one goal and one assist, recorded three key passes and completed 32 of 38 passes overall to help Las Vegas to its best attacking showing of the season.

MIAMI FC (2), ATLANTA UNITED 2 (2)

MIAMI – Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit in the first half but was unable to claim its first win in the Championship as it finished all square with Atlanta at Riccardo Silva Stadium.

Looking for a repeat of their victory when the sides first met, Atlanta created the first big chance in the 14th minute when a cross by Caleb Wiley from the left found Coleman Gannon at the far post for a first-time finish that went just wide of the near post. The visitors struck in the 18th minute, however, as Jack Gurr powered forward from midfield into space and fired home a long-range finish into the top-left corner of the net.

Atlanta doubled its lead from the penalty spot as Hassan Ndam was penalized for a foul in the area, and Amadou Macky Diop converted in the 23rd minute with a chipped, Panenka finish down the middle of the goal as Miami goalkeeper Bryant Gammiero dove early to his right. It didn’t take long for Miami to hit back, however, as a minute later Prince Saydee got in on the left side and centered for Romario Williams to tuck home a close-range finish. The same combination almost connected again in the 32nd minute, only for Williams’ finish to go wide of the left post, but in first-half stoppage time Vincent Bezecourt stole possession in Atlanta’s half and quickly released Williams for a low finish to level the score.

Williams almost completed his hat trick in the 58th minute as he drifted across the top of the penalty area to his right and fired a shot that came off the underside of the crossbar and rebounded out to safety. Bezecourt then had a chance nine minutes later as Sebastian Velasquez found him in space in the left side of the penalty area, but the French midfielder’s finish came back off the chest of Lundgaard and was cleared. Atlanta’s Lamin Jawneh almost struck late for the visitors as well but hit the side-netting with his shot from the left side of the penalty area, and that would prove the last big chance for either side as honors ended even.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Romario Williams, Miami FC – Williams scored both goals for the hosts and almost had a third with a finish that came back off the crossbar as he finished the night with six shots overall.

PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC (2), LOUDOUN UNITED FC (0)

LEESBURG, Va. – The Hounds spoiled the home opener for Loudoun at Segra Field as two goals inside the opening 11 minutes put the visitors in control en route to a comfortable victory.

Pittsburgh struck in just the seventh minute as a long ball forward by Danny Rovira played Steevan Dos Santos into the left side of the penalty area and set up for the Cape Verde forward to fire home a low, first-time finish into the net. Loudoun almost hit back two minutes later when Alioune Ndour’s weaving run from midfield was capped by a shot that went just wide of the right post, but in the 11th minute the Hounds doubled their advantage as Robbie Mertz delivered a near-post cross from the right side of the penalty area that Lukas Fernandes clipped home with a low finish.

Ndour threatened twice more in the opening half, first sending a finish wide of the left post after he’d worked a shooting chance in the left side of the penalty area, and then forcing an excellent save from Hounds goalkeeper Danny Vitiello, who palmed away his chipped finish on a 1-one-1 in the 27th minute. United was reduced to 10 men just before halftime, however, as Nelson Martinez was sent off for his second yellow card of the game.

The second half produced fewer chances, although the Hounds almost added to their lead just before the hour-mark as Kenardo Forbes’ low free kick to the bottom-left corner was nicely saved by United goalkeeper Colin Miller. The man-advantage allowed Pittsburgh to see out the rest of the contest comfortable, however, as they claimed their fifth win of the season.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Danny Vitiello, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – Vitiello recorded a three-save shutout and made two high claims and 18 recoveries to secure a clean sheet for the visitors.

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