Orange County SC fell 2-1 in a closely contested match against Loudoun United FC in the 109th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday, May 7 at Championship Stadium in Irvine, CA. Forward Thomas Amang scored his third goal of the season, his first in the Open Cup.
Orange County SC had the first chance of the night in the ninth minute as defender Ryan Doghman found some space on the right side of the pitch. He dished it to defender Owen Lambe, who fired a shot from the right side of the box that missed just wide.
The visitors struck first in the 22nd minute as midfielder Kalil ElMedkhar got the ball on a fast break. He found forward Wesley Leggett on the left side of the box. Leggett curled one around OCSC goalkeeper Colin Shutler for the first score of the game, putting Loudoun up 1-0.
Loudoun attempted to build on their lead in the 33rd minute ElMedkhar found midfielder Tommy McCabe in the center of the box. McCabe fired a left-footed-shot in the center of the box that was saved in the top center of the goal by OCSC goalkeeper Colin Shutler, keeping the deficit at 1-0 heading into the half.
OCSC started the second half on the attacking front in the 53rd minute when midfielder Brian Iloski found substitute forward Cameron Dunbar inside the box. Dunbar curled a shot towards the back post that was barely saved out of play by Loudoun goalkeeper Dane Jacomen.
The Black and Orange finally broke through in the 62nd minute as midfielder Sofianne Djeffal sent a ball across the pitch to midfielder Christian Sorto on the right side of the box. Sorto caught the volley delivering a beautiful pass across the box to substitute forward Thomas Amang, who tapped one home from close range, tying up the game at 1.
However, Loudoun quickly countered in the 64th minute as midfielder Gavin Turner delivered a ball across the field in behind the OCSC defense to Leggett. Leggett sliced one over the head of Shutler into the net, restoring the Loudoun lead, 2-1.
Orange County SC attempted to answer back in the 66th minute after Dunbar drew a penalty after a bad tackle from Loudoun substitute midfielder Florian Valot. OCSC captain Markus Nakkim stepped up to take the penalty and struck it cleanly, however, the ball was saved out of bounds by Jacomen.
The Black and Orange had one final chance in the 84th minute as Amang won a free kick just outside the box. Iloski fired the ensuing free kick from distance, however, Jacomen made a leaping save to keep OCSC off the board, ending the game in a 2-1 defeat for the County Boys.
The Black and Orange face a quick turn around as they head to The Bluegrass State for a matchup with Louisville City FC this Saturday, May 11 at 4:00 PM PDT. OCSC will return to Championship Stadium for Fiesta de Beer Fest against Loudoun United on Saturday, May 25 with gates opening at 5:00 PM. A limited number of tickets are still available, Grab yours here!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Forward Thomas Amang scored his third goal of the season.
Tonight was the largest home crowd for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in club history.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| LDN | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
22’ Wesley Leggett (LDN)
62’ Thomas Amang (OCSC)
64’ Wesley Leggett (LDN)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
11’ Marcus Nakkim
33’ Ashton Miles
52’ Kyle Scott
60’ Ashish Chattha
LOUDOUN UNITED
26’ Nelson Martinez
37’ Gavin Turner
59’ Keegan Hughes
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Owen Lambe, Markus Nakkim (C), Ashton Miles, Ryan Doghman (Ashish Chattha 23’); Sofiane Djeffal, Kyle Scott, Christian Sorto, Brian Iloski; Ethan Zubak (Thomas Amang 45’), Bryce Jamison (Cameron Dunbar 45’) (Ben Barjolo 90’)
Unused subs: Duran Ferree (GK), Ryan Ayoub, Ben Norris
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 62% | Shots: 15 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 8 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 1 |
LOUDOUN UNITED LINEUP:
Dane Jacomen (GK); Justin Melly (Brett St. Martin 74’), Drew Skundrich, Keegan Hughes, Keegan Tingey (Kwame Awuah 58’); Gavin Turner, Thomas McCabe (C), Nelson Martinez (Abdellatif Aboukoura 58’), Kalil ElMedkhar (Florian Valot 45’); Wesley Leggett, Thomas Williamson (Zach Ryan 71’)
Unused subs: Hugo Fauroux (GK), Christiano François, Trevor Zwetsloot
Head Coach: Frank Yallop
Possession: 38% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 13 | Offsides: 2 |
Orange County SC vs. Loudoun United FC
109th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | Round of 32
Date: May 7th, 2024
Venue: Championship Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: We move