SYMMES TOWNSHIP, Ohio– Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati Ladies battled to a 3-3 draw against Racing Louisville FC on Saturday that saw a multitude of twists and turns.
After an even opening 10 minutes, it was Louisville that had the first real chance of the match. In the 12th minute, KHFC’s Jade Rehberger attempted a clearance that floated over goalie Lexi Grundler’s head before hitting the far post. The ball would land at the feet of Louisville’s Fina Davy, whose hurried shot went just wide of the post, ending up harmlessly in the side netting.
KHFC’s first chance would come just four minutes later as a free kick from Lily Yordy would land at the feet of an unmarked Brooklynn Miltenberger. The KHFC defender would put her shot just over the bar to keep things knotted at 0-0.
The wait for the opener wouldn’t be long after as Lily Yordy once again found herself on the ball, this time driving toward the net in the 17th minute. Yordy would bring the ball onto her left foot near the penalty spot before driving it under Louisville goalkeeper Emma Teague’s outstretched arms.
KHFC would add a second goal 10 minutes later, this time from the right foot of Kennedy Clark. After pushing down the left flank, Clark would cut the ball onto her right foot before drilling a curling shot around Teague to extend the lead to 2-0.
Louisville had a golden opportunity to drag one back as midfielder Isabel Smith found herself played through on goal, but her chip was just a bit high as KHFC would retain their two goal advantage. Smith wouldn’t miss her second opportunity though as a failed clearance led to a loose ball. The Louisville midfielder would be the first to get a foot to it, poking it into the back of the goal through traffic and cutting KHFC’s lead in half just four minutes from the break.
Following the restart after halftime, KHFC would continue to pressure Louisville’s defense with forward Kylee Simmons putting a header inches past the net in the 54th minute.. The sustained pressure would reward KHFC as, in the 64th minute, defender Nat Bain would venture forward before whipping a cross towards the middle of the box where Kennedy Clark was waiting to smash the ball past the keeper for her second goal of the night, putting KHFC up 3-1.
With 15 minutes to go, it felt as if KHFC were well and truly on their way to opening the season with three points, but Louisville had other ideas. After upping the intensity, Louisville began to fashion more and more chances, and in the 83rd minute, substitute Erin Conelly would bring Louisville back to within a goal.
In the dying minutes of added time, a final Louisville push saw them win a penalty after a shot deflected off a KHFC arm in the penalty area. Erin Connelly would step up to the spot and aim her shot to the left of Grundler, who guessed the correct direction but couldn’t reach the ball, tying the game.
KHFC would have a final attack of their own, but an offside call ended it before they could get a shot away, ending the game in a 3-3 draw.
Following the game, Kings Hammer National Technical Director Bronson Gambale gave his opinion on the team’s play, saying, “I thought creativity going forward was really good. I think we left a few goals that really would’ve closed the game. And then ending the game, the ability to have the team communicate and see out games, and deal with a little bit of stress is a big factor for us to have a long run. We’re going to have to be able to close out games like that.”
The next match for the KHFC ladies will be on the road against the Dayton Dutch Lions on Saturday, May 24th. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. and the game can be streamed on SportsEngine Play for those fans not traveling.
