Hartford Athletic Hammered By Louisville City
Hartford Athletic Hammered By Louisville City
Latics shut out for the first time this season, fall 6-0 in the River City
Hartford were well beaten by an in-form Louisville City team that made the most of their early chances and then turned the screws, piling up four goals in a comprehensive victory at Lynn Family Stadium.
Louisville was on the front foot through the opening stages of the game and needed very little time at all to take the lead. In the 5th minute, the ball deflected to Elijah Wynder at the top of the box, and he curled the ball past Paul Walters for the opening goal.
City continued to dominate, and after having one apparent goal whistled back for offsides, doubled their lead in the 12th minute. After a fast break, Walters saved a shot, but the rebound ended up with Adrien Perez who finished well to put the home team up 2-0.
The third goal came in the 33rd minute when a headed clearance could get no further than Aiden McFadden - currently on loan from Atlanta United FC - who scored his first of the season to extend the lead. At this point in the game, the Latics had mustered only a single shot and were struggling to get out of their own half.
Hartford’s best chance of the first half came when Louisville keeper Damian Las came nearly to midfield to claim the ball and failed to do so, allowing Mamadou Dieng to collect the ball and run at the remaining defenders. Unfortunately for the Latics, City were able to get more players back and Dieng’s ball into Deshane Beckford in the box was easily cut out and the chance came to nothing.
Louisville generated a few more chances to close out the half but the teams went down the tunnel with the score still 3-0 to the home team.
The Latics opened the second half looking a little more organized, and Enoch Mushagalusa probably should have scored in the 55th minute when a cross found him unmarked at the top of the box but he was only able to curl the ball just over the bar.
Despite some opportunities for the visitors it was the home team that struck next, increasing their lead to 4-0 in the 68th minute through substitute Jorge Gonzalez, who latched on to a ball that bobbled through the box and fired it into the back of the net to heap misery onto Hartford. Another apparent goal for Louisville a few minutes later was waved off due to a handball in the box as well.
City did get their 5th in the 83rd minute, and it was probably the pick of the bunch with Ray Serrano creating space for himself at the top of the box before powering the ball past a sprawling Walters.
The route wasn’t over as Louisville took their tally to six goals in injury time, with Tolu Showunmi rubbing the final salt into the wound in the 93rd minute.
Hartford have a week to lick their wounds before heading south to take on Charleston Battery, a tough matchup with the defending Eastern Conference champions who also just scored six goals in a shutout win over Las Vegas Lights.