Louisville City FC scored on either side of the half, Chris Hubbard delivered a six-save performance, and the boys in purple closed their preseason Saturday on a winning note, defeating Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC by a 2-0 score at Lynn Family Stadium.
With the victory — one week out from its USL Championship opener — LouCity put a bow on an exhibition schedule that opened against four Major League Soccer opponents. Since moving on to face lower-division competition, the club has rattled off three straight victories.
The 32-game regular season opens Saturday, April 24, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Atlanta United 2 at Lynn Family Stadium.
“It’s great to be back in Lynn Family Stadium again and have our fans see us for the first time,” said John Hackworth, LouCity’s head coach and sporting director. “…I thought we grew into the game a little bit. It wasn’t a great performance, but we have to do that in particular against a team like Pittsburgh.
“You have to find a way to take your moments, and we did in finding a second one. Getting a shutout and beating a really worthy opponent is good news for us going forward.”
LouCity netted its earliest goal of the preseason Saturday when Brian Ownby won a ball back out wide and crossed to Oscar Jimenez for a second-minute tap in that moved the boys in purple ahead for good. They leaned on Hubbard, a Louisville native poised to win the No. 1 goalkeeper job this season, to keep Pittsburgh off the board.
In the 44th minute, Hubbard registered back-to-back saves, one of them seconds after his defense surrendered possession in its own half. Later, in the 57th minute Hubbard dove left to save a Riverhounds penalty kick.
The starting job appears to be his a season after the USL Championship’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Ben Lunt, was recalled from his LouCity loan to MLS’ FC Cincinnati.
“I did what I had to do, coupled with the back four in the first half and the back three, they were making some plays,” Hubbard said. “If it comes to me, I’m just glad I could do my job and make the saves. Overall, it was a good team performance. It wasn’t always pretty, but we found a way to gut it out and get it done, which is something we’re going to need this year.”
As Hubbard excelled in the goal, LouCity doubled its lead late as Napo Matsoso slipped a ball into Corben Bone, who tapped a shot between the opposing keeper’s legs. Matsoso and Bone were a favored pairing last year as well, and Bone acknowledged that with a point toward his fellow midfielder following the strike.
“We recovered the ball in a good area and got it out to Napo,” Bone said. “He did the rest, really. It was a fantastic pass. We kind of made eye contact, and he put it exactly where I wanted it. All I had to do was give it a little toe poke and hit the back of the net. Credit to Napo. It was an incredible pass, and he’s given me a few of those, which is why I keep pointing at him.”
LouCity will play its next four games all at Lynn Family Stadium, illustrating the importance of getting a preseason contest in there. Attendance was announce Saturday at 2,502 and is expected to be at the allowed capacity next weekend as the 2021 campaign officially kicks off.
