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Louisville Snaps Kickers’ Undefeated Streak

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 09/10/16, 9:25PM EDT

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City clinches home quarterfinal with 2-0 win in front of crowd of 7,362


Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC


Photo courtesy Em-Dash Photography / Louisville City FC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville City FC took a 2-0 victory against the Richmond Kickers in front of a crowd of 7,362 fans at Slugger Field on Saturday night, snapping a 10-game Kickers undefeated streak, and sealing a home quarterfinal in the 2016 USL Playoffs.Both teams opened brightly, and Louisville threatened in the ninth minute when Kadeem Dacres put a header on target that was saved by Richmond’s Andrew Dykstra. City took the lead in the 19th minute when the side was awarded a penalty kick for a foul on Dacres, and Cameron Lancaster converted from the spot. Richmond wasn’t able to generate many chances offensively for the remainder of the half, and then needed some strong defending from Hugh Roberts to keep it a one-goal deficit early in the second half, but Louisville made it 2-0 with a fierce shot by Magnus Rasmussen from 25 yards in the 55th minute. City almost added a third with just over 20 minutes to go as Lancaster’s shot was turned wide by Dykstra, who also had to deny a one-on-one chance for Dacres in the 78th minute, but the hosts saw out the victory late on to take a third consecutive shutout victory.

Scoring: 
19’ – LOU – Cameron Lancaster (PK)
55’ – LOU – Magnus Rasmussen (Aodhan Quinn)

Three Things That Matter:

  • 1. Louisville clinched a home quarterfinal in the 2016 USL Playoffs with its victory on Saturday night, and signaled its complete return to form in the process with a strong performance that was highlighted by Magnus Rasmussen’s fine strike 10 minutes into the second half. Louisville could have taken victory by a wider margin had Kickers goalkeeper Andrew Dkystra not had a sharp second half, but City will be happy with a victory that moved it within one win of locking up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

  • 2. One of the notable features of Louisville’s return to form has been the emerging defensive partnership between Sean Reynolds and Paco Craig, who have built a strong understanding over the past five games to help City get back on a winning track. Now in his fourth season as a professional, Reynolds was particularly impressive on Saturday against a good Kickers attack, while Craig has grown throughout his rookie season after being a standout in the PDL over the past two summers, which saw him earn a deal with Louisville in training camp this spring.

  • 3. Richmond saw its 10-game undefeated streak come to an end in Louisville, but won’t have much time to dwell on the disappointment as it faces another big game on Wednesday as the Charlotte Independence come to City Stadium in possession of the top-four place in the standings the Kickers are aiming for. The clash between the regional rivals could be a playoff preview for a few weeks from now, and should be a must-see for fans.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Magnus Rasmussen, Louisville City FC – Rasmussen’s highlight-reel goal highlighted a strong all-around performance by City’s attacking quartet which pressured a good Richmond defense much of the night.

Upcoming Games:

Louisville City FC at Saint Louis FC – Sept. 17, 8:30 p.m. ET, World Wide Technology Soccer Park

Richmond Kickers vs. Charlotte Independence – Sept. 14, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium

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