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Video | LouCity coach OConnor on win over Rochester
LouCity topples Rochester, extends unbeaten streak

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In a rematch of last year’s USL Eastern Conference final, Louisville City FC exacted some revenge Saturday, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over the Rochester Rhinos that snapped the host club’s 24-match home unbeaten streak.
A pretty piece of play in the 28th minute — it started with captain Aodhan Quinn’s interception and ended with midfielder Andrew Lubahn’s third goal of the season — kept LouCity undefeated on the road this season. The club hasn’t lost now, overall, in 12 straight league games.
“I thought the players showed tremendous fortitude,” said coach James O’Connor. “I thought our play at times was really, really good. I thought we passed the ball well. I thought we had some good opportunities to score.
“The players deserve enormous credit to come to a place where they’re unbeaten so many games in the league – I think it’s 24, 25 games in the league – and for the guys to come and show that type of performance, I can’t speak highly enough.”
Highlights: Top plays from LouCity-Rochester
Goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh made three saves throughout and posted a clean sheet while working with a pair of new defenders on the back line: Enrique Montano made his second start of the season and rookie Paco Craig his first as a professional.
The Rhinos had two solid looks of their own LouCity’s decisive goal. Rochester’s leading scorer, Christian Volesky, accounted for both of them, but neither his shot in the 17th or header in the 25th made it past Ranjitsingh.
Three minutes later, Quinn fed George Davis IV a pass near the box before Davis crossed to Niall McCabe, and Lubahn chipped in the go-ahead shot.
Photos: Gallery from Rhinos Stadium
“A great ball from Quinnie, a great ball from Niall, and Andrew finished it off,” Davis IV said. “Good play all around, and we know we’re capable of scoring good goals like that. We just have to take the chances when we get them.”
Rochester upped its pressure late looking to tie. A raised flag for offside waived off a would-be goal in the 82nd minute, and a flurry of chances in stoppage time didn’t materialize into an equalizer.
The Rhinos’ last loss at home in USL play came in August of 2014 — before LouCity’s franchise even started play.
The teams first battled to a draw in 2015 at Louisville Slugger Field. Later in the season, Rochester took all three points in both meetings in New York, the second of them in the playoffs.
Video: Coach O’Connor speaks on the victory
This time, LouCity’s victory improved its record to 9-1-4. At 31 points, Louisville has four more than the New York Red Bulls II, who play Sunday, and the win served as a rebound from last week’s draw with Wilmington Hammerheads FC, which evened the score in stoppage time.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” Davis IV said. “We wanted a good response after the result last week. We felt like we wanted a win – that we should have won – and we want to stay at the top of the league. We want to continue to strive for our goals. I thought the attitude was spot on.
“The mentality was good, and I thought we deserved three points.”
Summary
Match: Rochester Rhinos vs. Louisville City FC
Date: June 18, 2016
Venue: Rhinos Stadium
Kickoff: 6:06 p.m.
Weather: Clear, 86 degrees
Attendance: 4,365
Man of the Match: Andrew Lubahn
Scoring Summary
Louisville (28′): Aodhan Quinn intercepted a Rochester pass and threaded the needle to George Davis IV near the box. A cross met the foot of Niall McCabe, who dished to Andrew Lubahn for the finish on LouCity’s first shot on goal of the match.
Goal Scoring Rundown
LouCity (1, 0, 1)
Rochester (0 ,0, 0)
Lineups
Rochester Rhinos: 18-Tomas Gomez, 3-Kamdem Bradley (81′ 2-Marcps Ugarte), 4-Sean Totsch, 15-Joe Farrell, 21-Dom Samuel (60′ 11-Kenardo Forbes), 7-Ryan James (81′ 22-Brandon Beresford), 13-Mike Garzi, 17-Wal Fall, 29-Sofiane Tergou (71′ 6-Michael Guilavogui), 9-Christian Volesky (60′ 10-Steevan Dos Santos), 12-Asani Samuels.
Subs not used: 1-Adam Grinwis, 23-Jordan Becker.
Head coach: Bob Lilley
Louisville City FC: 13-Greg Ranjitsingh, 24-Kyle Smith, 20-Enrique Montano, 15-Sean Reynolds, 18-Paco Craig, 4-Aodhan Quinn, 36-Paolo DelPiccolo, 77-Andrew Lubahn (74′ 12-Mark-Anthony Kaye), 11-Niall McCabe (89′ 8-Guy Abend), 17-Chandler Hoffman (86′ 9-Cameron Lancaster), 22-George Davis IV (84′ 7-Kadeem Dacres).
Subs not used: 1-Scott Goodwin, 14-Ilija Illic, 5-Conor Shanosky.
Head coach: James O’Connor
Stats Summary: Rochester / LouCity
Shots: 4 / 3
Shots on Goal: 3 /3
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 4 / 2
Fouls: 15 / 16
Offside: 3 / 4
Officials
Referee: Patrick Rosas
Assistant Referee 1: David Carpinella
Assistant Referee 2: Jeffrey Cook
4th Official: B J Dunham
Gallery | Photos from LouCitys win over Rochester

Listen | Saturdays first Soccer City radio show podcast
“Soccer City,” a new, weekly radio show presented by LouCity, made its debut Saturday morning on 790 WKRD in Louisville. The public address voice of Louisville City FC, Lance McGarvey, joined local soccer expert O’loane and regular “Soccer City” host Steve Peake on the program’s first edition.
Guests included LouCity president Amanda Duffy and Ken Lolla, the University of Louisville’s men’s soccer coach.
Listen to the podcast below, and tune in live next week from 9-10 a.m. on AM 790, an iHeartMedia station.
LouCity start time moved up to avoid Copa America conflict

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With the United States set to play at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Copa America semifinals, Louisville City FC has adjusted the start time for its upcoming home match to accommodate fans wanting to watch both.
LouCity and Toronto FC II will kick off at 7 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field in their United Soccer League showdown before the U.S. plays either Argentina or Venezuela in Houston.
Tickets remain on sale to Tuesday’s LouCity match, with single-game admission starting at $15. Five-match packs to games are available as well.
Louisville enters this weekend No. 1 in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings with an 8-1-4 record. The club hasn’t lost since April 2 in league play during an unbeaten run of 11 games.
Earlier this season, LouCity topped Toronto FC II by a 2-0 score on the road. A second meeting with Toronto starts a string of four straight home game, with matchups against FC Cincinnati (June 25), FC Montreal (July 4) and the Charleston Battery (July 9) to follow.
Preview: Unbeaten streaks on the line in Rochester-LouCity match

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Defender Paco Craig wasn’t part of last season’s battles against the Rochester Rhinos, twice in the regular season and again in the United Soccer League playoffs. But he has heard about them, and he, as with a number of his Louisville City FC teammates, watched the Rhinos battled Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls earlier this week in U.S. Open Cup play.
Craig sees a “great challenge” in Saturday’s road match against the defending USL champion Rhinos. But it’s the type of task LouCity players want.
“All the better,” Craig said. “I wish we could play the defending champions every week.”
LouCity meets Rochester at 6:05 p.m. in a match to be broadcast on LouisvilleCityFC.com, withthe club’s official watch party in Louisville at Great Flood Brewing Company on Bardstown Road.
Two lengthy streaks will be tested at Rhinos Stadium, both Rochester’s 23-match unbeaten streak in USL home matches and LouCity’s 11-game undefeated run in league play.
“The respect New York Red Bulls showed Rochester (Wednesday) night — they had pretty much their MLS team out there,” LouCity coach James O’Connor said of the 1-0 New York victory. “I think for us, obviously, it’s a challenge. But we enjoy challenges.”
A regional rivalry between fans of Saint Louis FC quickly developed during LouCity’s first season. On the pitch, the club to catch was Rochester, a defensive-minded side still coached by Bob Lilley.
Much else with the organization changed year over year. Rhinos Stadium, formerly called Sahlen’s Stadium, received new turf and a video board as team ownership switched to locals David and Wendy Dworkin.
“They haven’t gotten the start that maybe they’ve wanted, but we know they’re a strong team,” said LouCity midfielder Niall McCabe.
Rochester enters the weekend 5-3-3, with its 18 points good for sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Rhinos have played two fewer matches than LouCity and other teams above them on the table.
Roles have switched from last season, when Louisville chased Rochester in the standings. On the heels of a draw and two defeats to the Rhinos in 2015, LouCity’s No. 1 in the standings at 8-1-4, with 28 points one better than New York Red Bulls II.
Players reeled this week from a stoppage-time goal allowed to Wilmington Hammerheads FC that turned a likely victory into a draw at Louisville Slugger Field. Both the Hammerheads’ goal in the 2-2 result followed corner kicks.
“You don’t forget about something like that,” McCabe said. “You have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. When you work so hard to get a lead, you can’t just give it away in the last minute on something cheap like a set piece. We’ve just got to be stronger collectively, not just on set pieces but on stopping crosses coming into the box.”
O’Connor, the second-year coach, lauded his team’s response to a disappointing result in training this week.
“That’s very pleasing,” he said, “but obviously, it’s always the next game. For me, it’s we win, it’s the next game. We draw, it’s the next game. We lose…”
O’Connor then started on another subject. It would be on to the next game in the event of a loss, too, but LouCity hasn’t dealt with a USL defeat since April 2.
What to watch for: Rochester vs. LouCity

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In a rematch of last year’s United Soccer League Eastern Conference final, Louisville City FC and the Rochester Rhinos meet again Saturday with roles reversed. It’s LouCity the favorite and Rochester the underdog for a 6:05 p.m. matchup at Rhinos Stadium in New York.
Team Records:
LouCity: 8-1-4 (28 points) in 13 matches; first in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.
Rochester: 5-3-3 (18 points) in 11 matches; sixth in the USL’s East.
Follow Live:
Watch the broadcast live on YouTube.
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @loucityfc and @loucityespanol on Twitter, andLouisville City FC on Facebook. Find us at louisvillecityfc on Instagram and loucityfc on Snapchat.
Vote for LouCity’s Modelo Man of the Match near the end of Saturday’s game on Twitter.
Additional links:
Preview: Streaks on the line Saturday
Know the foe: Rochester Rhinos
Official Rochester-LouCity watch party details
LouCity’s Reynolds raises injured teen’s spirits
LouCity players respond with “first class” attitude
Top of the table: LouCity carries into the weekend the best record in the 29-team United Soccer League sporting 28 points, one better than New York Red Bulls II. The Red Bulls, who have played one less match this season than Louisville, are at Orlando City B on Sunday.
Power poll: New York’s recent run of four straight 1-0 victories moved the Red Bulls to No. 1 for the first time this season in the USL’s latest power rankings. LouCity, on an 11-match unbeaten streak in USL play, sits second after its 2-2 draw Saturday against the Wilmington Hammerheads.
New addition: The successor to Harvard Medical School-bound Scott Goodwin was named last week when LouCity signed Tim Dobrowolski, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year out of Loyola University Chicago. Dobrowolski posted 11 shutouts in 19 games last season as a senior and boasted a 0.40 goals against average, second best in the nation.
Rasmussen returns: Midfielder Rasmussen came on in the 59th minute of the Wilmington match as a substitute for Mark-Anthony Kaye, sending supporters at Louisville Slugger Field into a frenzy. A player that scored LouCity’s first-ever goal in 2015’s inaugural match — then went on to tally eight in all — has spent months rehabbing after undergoing surgery.
Hoffman on a roll: Striker Chandler Hoffman moved into second in USL scoring June 11 by netting both of LouCity’s goals against Wilmington. With 10 total, he navigated past a drought that saw the forward go five USL matches without a goal. Hoffman has now recorded three multi-goal matches, including one hat trick in an April 16 victory at FC Cincinnati.
Honorable mention: The USL mentioned Hoffman on Tuesday when naming its Team of the Week as a member of the bench team.The league gave its Team of the Week spots at forward to FC Cincinnati’s Sean Okoli (two goals in a 2-1 win) and Swope Park’s Mark Anthony Gonzalez (three goals in two games).
GD4 available: Out against Wilmington after sent off with a red card in LouCity’s June 5 win at Orlando, midfielder George Davis IV can re-enter the lineup after serving a one-game suspension. Defender Ben Newnam will continue to sit Saturday at Rochester, the second game of thee he’s out due to a USL discipline decision. The Rhinos’ Vasileios Apostolopoulos will also sit Saturday due to yellow card accumulation.
Solid road record: LouCity has notched a majority of its victories away from Louisville Slugger Field this year, going 5-0-1 in USL road matches. The club’s schedule is back-loaded with home matches. After traveling to Rochester, Louisville will stay in town for four straight starting Tuesday against Toronto FC II.
Late goals: While transitioning from Scott Goodwin as the starting keeper to Greg Ranjitsingh, LouCity posted five straight shutouts in USL play before allowing goals in its last two matches. Both against Orlando — while playing with 10 men — and versus Wilmington, one of those scores came in stoppage time.
On the air: Louisville City FC has partnered with 790 WKRD and iHeartMedia to launch the area’s first soccer-specific radio show that debuts Saturday from 9-10 a.m. on Louisville’s Sports Station. Listen to “Soccer City,” presented by LouCity, online at louisvillecityfc.com/soccercity.