Fury FC Fall 4-0 to Reigning Champions Louisville City FC
September 22, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
Ottawa Fury FC race to the ball vs. Louisville City FC
(Ottawa Fury FC, Credit: Matt Zambonin / Freestyle Photography)
OTTAWA - With tremendous opponents standing between them and a spot in the playoffs and only four matches left, Ottawa Fury FC travelled to face Louisville City FC on a rainy Saturday night. The emotional battle on the pitch at Louisville Slugger Field did not go Ottawa's way, Fury FC surrendering to a 4-0 loss at the hands of the home side.
Having to manage another streak of closely scheduled games, Head Coach Nikola Popovic brought a few changes to his starting formation, seemingly opting for an injection of speed and pace on top with Jimmy Sanon and Kevin Oliveira, while a solid, compact midfield and back-four was once again on display with the return of Jamar Dixon to the lineup.
Louisville's Golden Boot leader Lancaster almost broke the ice in the 18th minute when he found himself alone in front of Crépeau, who made a fantastic last-ditch save worthy of his highlights reels, keeping the clean sheet alive.
Crépeau was at it again in the 24th minute, diving to his right, stretching to clear a straight shot from just outside the six-yard box right into the near post by McCabe, Crépeau showing all the quality and commitment Fury fans have come to love.
After resisting a few threatening attacks by Louisville, Fury FC was dealt a tough blow when Attakora was sent off for objectionable conduct as he came to the defence of his captain following a hard foul by Davis IV on Haworth.
Louisville would capitalize shortly after, opening the score in the first minute of stoppage time, followed by another strike from Lancaster. Emotions running high, Louisville took at 2-0 lead into the half.
Fury FC started the second frame showing confidence, Haworth executing a beautifully curled corner kick in the early minutes, but Louisville's keeper would do well to grab it ahead of the line.
Already playing a man down, Kevin Oliveira was sent off in the 58th minute, pinning Ottawa down two goals and two men with 30 minutes left in the match.
Resilient, Fury FC kept pressing forward, threading as they could to maintain their shape and protect their house, keeping LouCity at bay. Between some promising runs on the wings by Taylor and Reid and the continued stubbornness of Crépeau in front of the net, Fury FC did not bow down to the reigning champions.
Louisville City would add two more goals before the conclusion of the match: first, off a corner headed by Souahy, then on a right-footed strike by Lancaster, his second goal of the night. Chasing the game for over 30 minutes, Fury FC would end up conceding the 4-0 result to Louisville.
Ottawa will now turn their focus to the two upcoming matches this week, as they travel to Toronto on Wednesday and then host Bethlehem Steel FC at TD Place on Sunday afternoon, still on a quest to secure a spot in the USL playoff picture.
MATCH REPORT
Full stats report on USL Match Centre or download the Opta Stats Report (full)
Watch Match Highlights
Starting XI
Ottawa Fury FC (4-3-3): Crépeau; Edward, Meilleur-Giguère, Attakora, Haworth ©; Gagnon-Laparé, Dixon (62' Reid), Mannella; Sanon (43' Manesio), Dos Santos (62' Taylor), Oliveira
Louisville City FC (4-2-3-1): Ranjitsingh (17' Dobrowolski); Jimenez, Craig, Souahy, Smith; DelPiccolo ©, Davis IV (86' Spencer); Lewis (78' Ownby), Carranza, McCabe; Lancaster
Scoring Summary
45+1' LOU - Davis IV (Smith)
45+4' LOU - Lancaster (Jimenez)
78' LOU - Souahy (Jimenez)
83' LOU - Lancaster (Carranza)
Caution Summary
39' LOU - Davis IV
90' LOU - Craig
Expulsion Summary
39' OTT - Attakora (straight red)
58' OTT - Oliveira (straight red)
Attendance
7,729
Next Match: Wednesday, September 26 @ Toronto FC II - 6:00 PM - Lamport Stadium
Next Home Match: Sunday, September 30 v Bethlehem Steel FC - 1:00 PM - TD Place
Images from this story
 Ottawa Fury FC race to the ball vs. Louisville City FC (Matt Zambonin / Freestyle Photography) |
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