CINCINNATI, OH --- FC Cincinnati squared off with Toronto FC II and the Orange and Blue scored the only goal of the match for a 1-0 victory on Saturday evening at Nippert Stadium. It was the second straight win for FCC (4-4-3) as they held off Toronto (1-6-4) and moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
“We made the game a bit more difficult than we would have liked it to be,” said FCC head coach Alan Koch. “We’re glad to take the three points and we also give Toronto credit as they have a lot of good, young players on their squad. That’s three wins in a row for us so we’ll keep rolling from here. If we had taken more chances earlier on, I think we could have put away the game sooner than we did. I’m proud of our players in the end.”
FCC grabbed the early lead in the 18th minute as defender Tyler Polak dished the ball ahead to midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin, who was sprinting right to left across the box. McLaughlin tried to shake his defender but instead returned possession to Polak. Polak left-footed the ball nicely across the box to set up forward Danni Kӧnig for a header through the right side of the goal from point-blank range.
The goal was Kӧnig’s third in the last two games for FCC and the striker is second in goals for the club on the season with three.
“It was a great ball by Tyler and I was happy to be there to finish it with the to-be winning goal,” said Kӧnig, when asked about his header.
TFCII had a good look at an equalizer after falling behind, but FCC goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt helped the Orange and Blue maintain its advantage with a great save in the 29th minute. Midfielder Oyvind Alseth offered one up to teammate Shaan Hundal in the center of the box, but Hundal’s right-footed attempt was corralled by Hildebrandt.
Hundal’s attempt was Toronto’s only shot on goal through the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, TFCII nearly capitalized on an opportunity in the 63rd minute as Hildebrandt left the goal in an attempt to halt the Young Reds’ attack. Midfielder Sergio Camargo right-footed a pass ahead to Hundal, who had escaped the FCC defense. Hildebrandt sprinted out of the box to defend Hundal just as he kicked it toward the net, but the ball hit the right goal post before being knocked out of play by FCC.
In the 80th minute, McLaughlin saw an opening through the TFCII defense following a pass from forward Kadeem Dacres. McLaughlin right-footed a shot through the left side of the box but into the hands of Young Reds’ goalkeeper Mark Pais.
FCC held on in stoppage time as TFCII made their way deep into FCC territory and both sides scrambling for possession. Midfielder Aiden Daniels tried a shot, but fellow midfielder Brian James was whistled for offside moments before the match ended.
At full time, the visitors held the advantage with 12 shots, and seven of those coming from inside the box. FCC managed four shots inside the box and seven on the match.
FC Cincinnati returns to action Wednesday in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Louisville City FC. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Nippert Stadium.
GOAL SUMMARY:
FCC: 18th – Danni Kӧnig (Tyler Polak)
STARTING LINEUPS:
FCC: Mitch Hildebrandt, Matt Bahner, Austin Berry, Harrison Delbridge, Tyler Polak, Jimmy McLaughlin, Aodhan Quinn, Corben Bone, Kadeem Dacres, Daryl Fordyce, Danni Kӧnig
TOR: Mark Pais, Brandon Onkony, Brandon Aubrey, Mitchell Taintor, Luis Pereira, Brian James, Sergio Camargo, Ryan Telfer, Oyvind Alseth, Malik Johnson, Shaan Hundal
Attendance: 18,214
