LouCity's Unbeaten Streak Ends at North Carolina

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USL Louisville City FC

LouCity's Unbeaten Streak Ends at North Carolina

June 20, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Louisville City FC News Release


Louisville City FC's Damian Las in action
Louisville City FC's Damian Las in action
(Louisville City FC, Credit: North Carolina FC)

North Carolina FC scored twice on set plays to defeat Louisville City FC by a 2-1 score Friday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, ending Louisville's 13-game unbeaten run to open the season.

LouCity (9-1-4, 31 points) was the only club in North American men's professional soccer yet to lose a league game this year. The result also ended a 19-game USL Championship regular season undefeated streak for the club dating to last year. It was Louisville's third loss this season overall.

"I spoke before the game with the group about not taking an opportunity for granted," LouCity head coach Danny Cruz said. "And I felt tonight we were just out there to kick a ball around and we took it a little bit for granted."

For North Carolina (7-4-2, 23 points), the win was just the club's second-ever over Louisville and the first since 2019. It also served as a bit of revenge after LouCity defeated North Carolina in the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.

A pair of debut goals gave North Carolina the victory. Just before halftime, 18-year-old Finn Sundstrom headed in a wide free kick for his first professional goal. In the second half, 22-year-old Adam Luckhurst was on the end of a corner kick, adding his name to a professional scoresheet for the first time.

"We did not execute in the way that we typically do," Cruz said of his team's set piece defense. "We did not execute from a structural standpoint, and we didn't attack the ball... This game is obviously built on moments, and we didn't handle (those moments) well enough."

City showed fight in the second half. Phillip Goodrum equalized just three minutes into the second period, heading in a Ray Serrano corner kick.

"First 15 minutes of the second half, you see, I think we scored, and our mentality changed going into the second half," Serrano said. "But, like Danny said, he shouldn't come into (halftime) yelling at all of us, telling us to wake up and get it all together. Yeah, I think the mentality was a big part of why we didn't get three points tonight."

For Goodrum, the goal was his sixth in his last five appearances.

"It's hard to see the sliver lining in that tonight, honestly," Goodrum said of his goal. "I'll just keep chugging along, doing my job, putting the ball into the back of the net and as a group we're going to have to respond next week. It's a huge week for us."

Louisville dominated the run of play in the final 45 minutes, with 12 shots to North Carolina's seven - including four on target to the hosts' one - and a 61.2% possession advantage.

But it wasn't enough to keep Louisville's record unblemished.

Louisville couldn't find a second equalizer despite a flurry of late chances, including an 89th-minute Goodrum header that North Carolina goalkeeper Jake McGuire saved.

Despite the loss, Louisville remained in first place in the USL Championship, but the club could soon have company: The Charleston Battery would join LouCity with 31 points atop the standings with a win over Phoenix on Saturday night.

Louisville won't have to wait long to get another crack at North Carolina. The two sides will square off again one week from Saturday in a USL Jägermeister Cup group stage game on June 28 at Louisville's Lynn Family Stadium.

Before that one, however, LouCity will face Loudoun United for already the fourth time this season in a regular season game.

"We're playing the two teams in this league who have beaten us," Goodrum said of the week ahead. "It's an opportunity in our eyes to right a wrong."

"Obviously we're going to go into Loudoun with a chip on our shoulder," Serrano said, referencing the club's USL Jägermeister Cup loss. "And then when we play North Carolina again, (we'll) do the same thing."

Game Summary: North Carolina FC vs. Louisville City FC

Date: June 20, 2025

Venue: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

Weather: 85 degrees, sunny

Scoring

North Carolina FC (1, 1, 2)

Louisville City FC (0, 1, 1)

Goals

North Carolina FC:

45' Finn Sundstrom (Mikey Maldonado)

66' Adam Luckhurst (Louis Perez)

Louisville City FC:

48' Phillip Goodrum (Ray Serrano)

Lineups

North Carolina FC: 1 - Jake McGuire; 55 - Triston Hodge, 27 - Bryce Washington, 66 - Finn Sundstrom, 11 - Patrick Burner (74' 10 - Jaden Servania), 15 - Mikey Maldonado, 17 - Collin Martin (88' 44 - Raheem Somersall), 14 - Rafa Mentzingen (c) (88' 5 - Paco Craig), 13 - Louis Perez, 8 - Pedro Dolabella (74' 16 - Rodrigo da Costa), 26 - Adam Luckhurst (81' 9 - Oalex Anderson)

Subs not used: 24 - Trevor Mulqueen; 7 - Evan Conway, 20 - Conor Donovan

Head coach: John Bradford

Louisville City FC: 1 - Damian Las; 2 - Aiden McFadden, 32 - Kyle Adams (c), 5 - Arturo Ordóñez (84' 70 - Isaac Cano), 4 - Sean Totsch, 15 - Manny Perez (45' 3 - Jake Morris), 17 - Taylor Davila, 27 - Evan Davila (67' 31 - Kevon Lambert), 7 - Ray Serrano (76' 11 - Niall McCabe), 25 - Jansen Wilson (45' 23 - Sam Gleadle), 9 - Phillip Goodrum

Subs not used: 30 - Ryan Troutman; 13 - Amadou Dia, 80 - Hayden Stamps, 83 - Brandon Dayes

Head coach: Danny Cruz

Stats Summary: North Carolina FC / Louisville City FC

Shots: 14 / 18

Shots on Goal: 5 / 6

Expected goals: 1.03 / 1.93

Possession: 43.3% / 56.7%

Fouls: 8 / 9

Offside: 0 / 1

Corner Kicks: 2 / 5

Discipline Summary

North Carolina FC:

90'+2 Rodrigo da Costa (yellow)

Louisville City FC:

75' Phillip Goodrum (yellow)

84' Sean Totsch (yellow)

Referee: Brad Jensen

Check out the Louisville City FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC's Damian Las in action
Louisville City FC's Damian Las in action
(North Carolina FC)		   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 20, 2025


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