Photo courtesy Vibe Creative Studio / Louisville City FC
TUCSON, Ariz. – Louisville City FC took a 3-0 victory against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Monday evening at the Kino Sports Complex in the Desert Showcase presented by FC Tucson, continuing an undefeated start to the club’s preseason preparations.
LouCity winger Brian Ownby scored in the opening half before LouCity Academy grad Owen Damm and offseason signing Rasmus Thellufsen registered their first club goals in the second half.
“We were really happy with the result,” said LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz. “To put three goals in the back of the net was important for us. When you look at the approach to the game, we had to manage minutes on the quick turnaround after Sporting. We wanted to come out of this game without injuries, and we did.
“Then when you look at the quality of football we played on the day, there were some really good opportunities created through rhythm and movement.”
Coming off draws against Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC and Sporting Kansas City, Louisville took the lead against the Switchbacks in the 13th minute as forward Wilson Harris’ long throw resulted in a headed goal from Ownby.
Soon after, LouCity had an opportunity to double its advantage when Manny Perez earned a penalty kick. However, the normally sure-footed Sean Totsch shot over the crossbar.
Early in the second half, Damm corralled a loose ball and finished to make it 2-0. Minutes later, Thellufsen benefitted from service by Ray Serrano, rounding out the scoring.
LouCity rolled out a mix of veteran pros, academy forward Issac Cano and a pair of trialists in its starting lineup. The 11 on the field grew younger as the game went on, with Damm playing the majority of the way as a substitute and academy forward Colin Elder logging the final 20 minutes at striker.
“We're creating a lot of opportunities and, more importantly, finishing some of those opportunities,” said Cruz. “We have to continue to improve and grow in that area. I've got a group of guys that is constantly looking to get better in the final third. Looking forward to opening day, we've got to make sure we do whatever we can to keep the progression going.”