Orange County SC dropped its home opener to Louisville City 3-1 as the team kicked off another season at Championship Stadium at the Great Park in Irvine, CA on March 11.
OCSC played the reigning USL Championship Eastern Conference Champions tough for 90 minutes in a match that was closer than the scoreline suggested.
Midfielder Niall McCabe opened the scoring for Louisville City with a header in the fourth minute assisted by forward Brian Ownby.
Orange County responded with a goal of their own during the 40th minute, as right back Brent Richards connected with midfielder Kevin Partida to tie the match at 1.
The Black and Orange would head into the locker room all square in a chippy first half that produced four yellow cards.
LouCity began the second half on the front foot and retook the lead in the 57th minute off a goal from Cameron Lancaster.
While down on the scoreboard, OCSC did not back down. They continued to press forward for an equalizer that nearly came to fruition in the 86th minute. Substitute Ryan Doghman nearly opened his OCSC account on his debut, but the Norwegian’s effort rattled the crossbar and back out.
LouCity added the insurance marker just two minutes later when Enoch Mushagalusa sent the visitors home with all three points and a final score of 3-1.
OCSC will return to the pitch at Championship Stadium at the Great Park in Irvine next Saturday, March 18 when they face the Tampa Bay Rowdies. This match is our Spring Beer Fest, the first of four Beer Fests this season! A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Tonight marked midfielder Kevin Partida’s first goal in an Orange County shirt.
Tonight also marked the professional debut of midfielder Ashish Chattha.
This match was Ryan Doghman, Andrew Fox, Markus Nakkim, and Emil Nielsen’s first match for OCSC.
The announced attendance of 4,267 is the highest in club history for a Home Opener.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| LOU | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| OCSC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
4’ Niall McCabe (LOU)
40’ Kevin Partida (OCSC)
57’ Cameron Lancaster (LOU)
88’ Enoch Mushagalusa (LOU)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
37’ Brent Richards
41’ Milan Iloski
45+3’ Kevin Partida
LOUISVILLE CITY FC
19’ Cameron Lancaster
71’ Sean Totsch
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Brent Richards, Andrew Fox, Markus Nakkim, Alex Villanueva; Daniel Pedersen (C), Kevin Partida (Dylan Powers 65’), Kyle Scott (Ashish Chattha 65’); Milan Iloski, Emil Nielsen (Bryce Jamison 81’), Korede Osundina (Ryan Doghman 53’)
Unused subs: Mark Hyan (GK), Seth Casiple, Nico Ruiz
Head Coach: Richard Chaplow
Possession: 49% | Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 16 | Offsides: 1 |
LOUISVILLE CITY FC LINEUP:
Kyle Morton (GK); Amadou Dia, Sean Totsch, Jordan Scarlett, Manny Perez (Oscar Jimenez 87’); Rasmus Thellufsen, Tyler Gibson (Carlos Moguel 71’), Niall McCabe (Paolo DelPiccolo 70’); Brian Ownby (Dylan Mares 83’), Cameron Lancaster (Elijah Wynder 83’), Enoch Mushagalusa
Unused subs: Oliver Semmle (GK); Ramzi Qawasmy
Head Coach: Danny Cruz
Possession: 51% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corners: 5 | Fouls: 14 | Offsides: 2 |
Orange County SC vs. Louisville City FC
2023 USL Championship | Matchday 1
Date: March 11, 2023
Venue: Championship Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: The Scandinavian guys brought it with ’em