A dominant performance by Louisville City did not translate to three points as the Boys in Purple could only take a point in a goalless draw against Toronto FC II at Slugger Field on Saturday night.
City controls the series with a 4-0-1 record. And despite remaining undefeated in the USL, the match felt more like two points dropped than a much-deserved point.
“I think we could have won it,” coach James O’Connor said. “It’s probably the most frustrating game we’ve had. We played some fantastic football and created great chances. You can’t fault the lads and their effort. We just needed to take our chances, and that’s what made it frustrating.”
City dominated in every aspect of the game. They controlled the pace of the game and created an abundance of chances to score. City bombarded Toronto with 17 shots but was unable to convert. George Davis IV and Brian Ownby had scoring chances inside the opening ten minutes but went wide.
Toronto introduced a 3-5-2 formation to create more opportunities going forward but hardly troubled goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski. Toronto’s offense mustered only two shots in the first half, with zero on target.
City came out of the break with the same level of aggression as they showed in the first half. Luke Spencer had the best chance of the game in the 51st minute. Niall McCabe swung in a cross from the right flank. Spencer lunged it onto goal, but goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo made the save on the line.
Seeing Cavalluzzo make save after save demoralized City as the game progressed.
“When things aren’t going our way, we’re dropping our heads instead of thinking about burying the next chance,” Oscar Jimenez said. “It’s contagious and we have to get past that. We had a lot of shots, but credit to the goalie for making the saves. Good for him.”
Cavalluzzo came up big again in the 67th minute. Oscar Jimenez had space in the box and blasted a high shot on goal. Cavalluzzo could only save punched the ball over for a corner.
City made a last chance effort to score in stoppage time. A cross swung in by DelPiccolo was headed on goal. Cavalluzzo made the save off the line once again to keep the game scoreless.
Louisville City will be on the road for their next match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
