Louisville maintains dominance against Riverhounds at Highmark with pair of second half goals

USL Championship – Week 26 

FINAL: Louisville City FC 2, Riverhounds 0 

Match Stats: USL Championship Match Center

 

Instant Match Summary

The Riverhounds couldn’t break the hex against Louisville City FC, falling to the USL Championship’s top outfit, 2-0, before 5,152 fans at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night.

Louisville broke through with a second effort goal from Kevon Lambert in the 50th minute, then added an insurance marker from Adrien Pérez in the 86th minute.  

Despite bringing ample amount of pressure to the tune a 14-7 (4-2 on frame) shots edge, that also included 33 crosses and six corner kicks (unofficial through 90 minutes), the Hounds (8W-9L-7D, 31 points) were denied time-after-time by a well-organized Louisville City (17-1-6, 57 points) unit that accounted for 36 clearances.

Since its inception in 2015, Louisville City has posted a 7W-0L-5D record against the Hounds at Highmark Stadium.

“It’s a testament to this squad and work we’ve done,” Brian Ownby, Louisville veteran mainstay and one-time Hound way back in 2014, who wore the captain’s armband in this match.

“We bent but didn’t break. We love these types of environments. Credit to Pittsburgh, they put us under. But so proud of our guys for coming through.”

On the other side, the Hounds felt like the loss was a bit self-inflicted.

“We made two mistakes as far as I am concerned.” Riverhounds SC Head Coach Bob Lilley said.

“We have to do a better job. We unsettled them at times, but you saw a good team (Louisville) that manages games very well. Generally, year-in and year-out. They’re managing those moments very well. They’re finding the right moments to take advantage of. They did that again tonight.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both sides toyed with chances in the early going.  Ultimately neither could break through with any quality chances, with the Hounds holding the 3-2 shots edge through 45 minutes, with each team putting one fairly weak header chances on frame.

In the 10th minute, Robbie Mertz’s service into the box from the left side scooted through the six and bounced just wide of the right post.  The sequence would be the beginning of a night of many similar balls coming into the box — in fairly dangerous places — but the Hounds failed to have a runner on the back post.

In choosing his starting eleven, Lilley opted to bring back Bertin Jacquesson to the lineup, as the former Pitt standout was relegated to coming off the bench in the second half in the previous three matches, all on the road.

The visitors, having wrapped up a playoff berth and holding a four-point edge in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the Players Shield, opted to mix things up a bit with its starting lineup, including Ownby, making his first start for the Purple and Gold since 2023.

Jacquesson become a focal point of the attack at times in the first half with 11 touches, four in the Louisville City box, while sending a few crosses and had a shot blocked in the first 25 minutes.

“We had a lot of balls that went across the face of goal. All it took was one player to run through.  We had players in high positions,” Lilley said.

At the start of stoppage time, Danny Griffin put the only shot on frame in the first half, getting on the end of a Robbie Mertz free kick, but the weak shot was grabbed with ease by LouCity FC keeper Damian Las.

It was also little surprise to see the match become physical and testy at the end of the first half, with some pushing and shoving after a few whistles.

The action picked up a bit at the start of the second half.  Louisville City Head Coach Danny Cruz opted to bring three players off the bench, while the Hounds swapped outside backs/wingers, with Junior Etou coming on for Perrin Barnes.

The breakthrough came when Louisville brought pressure into the box in the 50th minute.

Initial shot from 2nd half sub, Adrien Pérez went through the crowded box, then veteran Sean Tostch was able to get a backheel on the ball, sending it over to Kevon Lambert, who finished from close range by the back post. 

The Jamaican international and Real Salt Lake loanee was left unmarked amidst the chaos and buried his chance.

“We invited pressure.  We didn’t clear our lines. They ended up with a free kick.  Their forward never ended in high position,” Lilley said.

“We should have been clearing our lines.  Both teams played direct a lot, because that’s what was given.”

Hounds responded with a pair of chances on frame, first one coming from Bradley Sample in the 57th minute from the edge of the box, then two minutes later, after Jacquesson used two headers to keep possession alive, played it over to Mertz, who struck a ball that force Las into making a save at the near post.

The Hounds continued to mount pressure, earning a free kick in the 64th minute.  Mertz’s service found defender Beto Ydrach at the back post, but the well-hit header chance was saved off the line by a Louisville City defender.

Looking to add more impact to their push for the equalizer, the Hounds turned to a pair of attackers, Chase Boone and Charles Ahl in the 70th minute.

With the Hounds pushing numbers forward for the equalizer, in the 86th minute, Louisville City’s Adrien Pérez got behind everyone — then beat keeper Eric Dick to give the visitors a 2-0 lead and a very clear path to victory — silencing the Highmark Stadium crowd.

“You go back four at end with your back four. We were pushing hard.  We threw as many attackers as we could. We were causing problems,” Lilley shared as his team was pushing for the equalizer.

“When you play a blind through ball through the middle third.  You can’t lose the ball in that area.  It’s a loose turnover in a bad area.  Unfortunately, you take that risk.  I like that we responded. I like that we created.  I think the first 25 minutes, we had pretty good control of the game.”

Next up, the Hounds will travel to take on a Hartford Athletic FC squad that’s in very good form.

“We have to bounce back,” Lilley stated.

“The game in Hartford is potentially going to be more challenging.  They’re at a point where they’re finding ways to win.”

 

Bob Lilley’s Full Post Match Press Conference

Starting Lineups

PSN Riverhounds Coverage

Riverhounds looking to shake the Louisville monkey off its back as postseason push intensifies