Louisville City went on the road last night and defeated Harrisburg City 3-2 in a back-and-forth match. At least, that’s what we saw in the sixty minutes we were able to watch. The baseball stadium which Harrisburg inhabited yesterday either has the worst internet connection of all time, or their service provider has throttled them for being past-due on payments.

After seeing a 2-0 lead slip away, LCFC scored a goal in the 90^th minute, as Mark-Anthony Kaye thundered a header in from close range to give the visitors all three points. The goal came less than two minutes after Harrisburg City leveled it at 2-2.

Louisville City was in control for much of the match, and the result was a fair one. Scotty Goodwin was phenomenal as always between the sticks, and reigning USL Player of the Week Chandler Hoffman made it five goals in his last two matches with a first-half brace. He opened the scoring just as he did against Cincinnati—with a penalty kick. Kadeem Dacres was taken down in the box, a needless foul off the ball that was easy to spot. Hoffman stepped up and easily scored to make it 1-0 for the boys in gold and white after just 21 minutes. Paolo DelPiccolo nearly doubled the lead a few minutes later, when his free kick from out wide was tipped over the bar just before it snuck into the upper 90 on the back post.

City had to make a pair of first-half substitutions, as captain Aodhan Quinn was replaced by Guy Abend after just 36 minutes. The status of El Capitan is unknown, as the club does not discuss injuries. However, Quinn did not seem to be hurt, so it was either an issue of fatigue or simply coach James O’Connor was not happy with something he saw. Then after 43 minutes, Kaye replaced Andrew Lubahn, which again did not appear to be due to injury.

Then, the end of the first half saw rapid-fire action at both ends. First, Hoffman made it 2-0 for LCFC in the 44^th minute, as a great piece of interplay saw the ball get headed into the box. Hoffman ran onto the ball, touched it around the keeper who was left sprawling, and finished with a very difficult left-footed effort from a tough angle. However, the lead would be cut in half just a minute later, as a cross into the box was not cleared and fell to Paul Wilson about 16 yards out. He ripped a missile past Goodwin, who could do nothing about it as it went to the half 2-1.

Two more changes were made just four minutes into the 2^nd half, as Cameron Lancaster and George Davis IV came in for Niall McCabe and Kadeem Dacres, respectively. With just five days’ rest before the club plays at home on Wednesday night, these changes were likely made to keep the team somewhat fresh. Goodwin was called into action multiple times in the second half, as Harrisburg pushed for the equalizer. That equalizer would finally come in the 88^th minute, as the hosts capitalized on a corner kick. On the pitch only two minutes, Brett Jankouskas used every bit of his tall frame to go up and win the header, placing Juan Barril’s cross into the back of the net. However, their celebrations would be very short lived, as Louisville went right back down and took all three points home with them.

This is now three wins in three matches against the Islanders, as our boys have yet to drop a point against Harrisburg City. Most importantly, it keeps the club at the top of the USL Eastern Conference table, taking twelve of a possible fifteen points to start the season.  Hoffman also took over sole position at the top of the scoring list in the league, as he is currently on pace to obliterate a goal-scoring record set last season by Matt Fondy.

Next up for City is a match at home on Wednesday night, as the boys in purple host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 7:30 pm. It will be an important match for the club, as ESPN3 will broadcast the match worldwide. It’s very important that we fill the stands, so let’s do all we can to paint Slugger Field purple and gold!