FC Cincinnati sets club record at 12 matches unbeaten; Ledesma notches 10th goal of 2018
CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati defeated Penn FC, 1-0, in front of a crowd of 24,249 fans at Nippert Stadium on Saturday night.
The Orange and Blue (14-3-6, 48 points) used an 80th-minute Emmanuel Ledesma free kick goal to top Penn FC (6-8-8, 26 pts.), pushing the club’s unbeaten run to 12 games (8-0-4).
After drawing a foul from about 25 yards out, Ledesma curled a left-footed a shot that was deflected by Penn FC’s Lucky Mkosana and redirected to the bottom-left corner of the net.
FC Cincinnati wraps up a six-week home stand on Saturday, Aug. 18, when the club hosts the Charleston Battery at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The match will be televised on WSTR 64, carried on the radio on WSAI 1360 AM and streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets for Saturday’s game, as well all remaining home games this season, are available at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK (5425).
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. For more information about FC Cincinnati tickets, call 513-977-KICK (5425) or visit fccincinnati.com/tickets.
SCORE: FC Cincinnati 1, Penn FC 0
Nippert Stadium | Cincinnati, Ohio
Sunday, August 12, 2018
SCORING SUMMARY:
CIN -- Emmanuel Ledesma (unassisted) 80’
FC Cincinnati: Spencer Richey, Blake Smith, Forrest Lasso, Paddy Barrett ©, Justin Hoyte, Michael Lahoud, Corben Bone, Emmanuel Ledesma, Nazmi Albadawi (Kenney Walker 58’), Russell Cicerone (Jimmy McLaughlin 68’), Danni Konig (Fanendo Adi 77’)
Bench: Evan Newton, Fatai Alashe, Matt Bahner, Sem De Wit
STATS: Shots 11, Shots on goal 2, Fouls 15, Offsides 2, Corner kicks 4, Saves 2, Possession 56.8%
Penn FC: Romauld Peiser, Jake Bond, Ken Tribbett ©, Kyle Venter, Marco Franco (Pedro Galvão 58’), Walter Ramirez, Dan Metzger (Miguel Jaime 78’), Richard Menjivar, Prince Baffoe, Lucky Mkosana, Isaac Osae (Tommy Heinemann 67’)
Bench: Paulo Júnior, Aaron Dennis, Haruna Shaibu, Sean Lewis
STATS: Shots 15, Shots on goal 2, Fouls 14, Offsides 2, Corner kicks 4, Saves 1, Possession 43.2%
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
PEN -- Prince Baffoe (caution) 43’
PEN -- Kenneth Tribbett (caution) 79’
PEN -- Lucky Mkosana (caution) 83’
Referee: Mark Allatin
Weather: 81 degrees and mostly sunny
Attendance: 24,249
Man of the Match: Emmanuel Ledesma
HOW IT HAPPENED
34’ | Penn FC midfielder Walter Ramirez dribbled into the left part of the box and created some separation as he looked to put his club on the board. Ramirez tried a left-footed cross that was on target, but FCC keeper Spencer Richey was in great position to keep Penn scoreless.
43’ | The Orange and Blue earned a corner kick minutes before intermission and Emmanuel Ledesma provided service into the box. Paddy Barrett was on the receiving end, but his header bounced off the playing surface hit the crossbar.
56’ | FCC had great looks at the net in back-to-back attempts early in the second half. On the first play, Ledesma took an inbound pass from Justin Hoyte in the attacking half and dribbled toward the top of the box. Ledesma decided to take it himself and took a left-footed shot that hit the right goal post. On the rebound, Russell Cicerone shot from the right side of the box, but Romauld Peiser came up with the save.
80’ | FCC GOAL -- Ledesma drew a foul in the 80th minute from approximately 25 yards out. The Argentinian midfielder curled a left-footed shot, and a deflection by Lucky Mkosana helped the Orange and Blue tally for the late game-winner.
GAME NOTES
Emmanuel Ledesma recorded his 10th goal of the season with his tally in the 80th minute … with the assist, he became the first player in USL to reach 10 goals and 10 assists in USL this season
Ledesma is now tied with Danni Konig for most goals among FC Cincinnati players with 10 … Ledesma and Konig are the only pair of teammates in USL to record at least 10 goals on the year
Spencer Richey made two saves en route to recording his second shutout of the season … Richey’s record improves to 5-1-0 on the year … With the clean sheet, FCC has now blanked the opposition on 10 occasions this season, tied for fourth-most among all USL teams
The Orange and Blue extended their unbeaten run to 12 games … in those 12 contests, FCC is 8-0-4, including a 6-0-2 mark at home … The 12-match mark surpasses the previous unbeaten streak of 11 matches, which was set from April 24 - July 2, 2016 (7-0-4)
With the win, FCC is now 3-0-2 all-time against Penn FC, including a 3-0-0 mark at Nippert Stadium … the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in their last matchup on September 12, 2017
After starting the season 2-2-1 at home, FC Cincinnati has since gone 6-0-2 at Nippert Stadium … the home unbeaten streak is the longest home unbeaten stretch in club history … it bests the mark of seven matches unbeaten at home in USL play set from May 20, 2017 - July 22, 2017
POSTGAME QUOTES
FCC Head Coach Alan Koch
On the match...
“Three points. I think at this time of the season, it’s really been a grind at times and we’ll gladly take the three points every game we play. Of course, we showed some good moments in the second 45 minutes … it’s all about getting results.”
On not capitalizing on chances until later in the match...
“We would have liked to score early, but we didn’t. But the guys stayed patient. I liked the patience a little better in the second 45 minutes. I think we tried to take care of the ball a little more than we did in the first 45 minutes.”
On the upcoming stretch of opponents...
“I think if we take ourselves out of the moment, which is the best way to deal with things in this business, it’s only natural that we’re not putting in perfect 90-minute performances right now. It’s a long season and the number of players that we’re missing right now, it’s a huge challenge. And we don’t have everybody healthy.”
FCC Defender Paddy Barrett
On his chance in the first half...
“Yeah, I did [think it was going in] to be honest with you. I probably should have scored, but it is what it is.”
On how he felt on the pitch Sunday...
“I felt OK, I felt good. I felt comfortable around the ball and when I had it.”
On getting into a rhythm at the start of the match...
“It’s not really [difficult getting into a rhythm]. We controlled everything from the start of the game, which kind of brought me into the game more comfortably.”
FCC Midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma
On being the first USL player to reach 10 goals and 10 assists...
“It means a lot, but at the same time it means nothing because we have to keep working hard. We have 11 games left, we have to look for the big goal [to win it all]. I’m not happy because I scored, but rather because we won and it gave us three points.”
On playing a in 4-3-3 formation...
“To be fair, in the first 45 minutes we didn’t do well. I expect more from our team. In the second half, we kept the ball and kept the tempo high and attacked, attacked, attacked. I think they got tired and it was during those moments, we started getting the free kicks and chances like that.”
On if he has been feeling any pressure to score...
“No, it’s the same thing we’ve been practicing. It’s a game and we enjoy it. We play a game we love and I don’t think there’s pressure.”
