CINCINNATI, OH – Danni König scored and recorded an assist, Jimmy McLaughlin and Sem de Wit each scored a goal and FC Cincinnati (9-9-7) cruised to a 3-1 win over Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday night at Nippert Stadium. FCC halted a two-game scoreless streak in USL action in its first ever matchup against Ottawa.
“No league game is more important than any other game, as every game is worth three points. But based on what we’ve gone through as a club, this was very challenging,” said FCC Head Coach Alan Koch. “We needed individuals to play to their absolute best. Midfield players were getting up and down the pitch, defenders were defending as they should, and Mitch (Hildebrandt) made some wonderful saves. No game against Ottawa is ever safe because they’re a very good team.”
König pushed the Orange and Blue ahead late in the first half off of a nice cross from defender Tyler Polak from the left side in the 34th minute. Polak’s ball crossed the box to König who, with a defender hanging off him, pounced with a mid-air over volley over diving Ottawa goalkeeper Callum Irving. The goal was König’s ninth on the season, good for second on the team behind Djiby.
Moments later, in the 42nd minute, defender Sem de Wit cleared the ball out of the FCC box towards König. He dummied the ball, throwing off the defense, allowing Jimmy McLaughlin to break free from the back line of the Ottawa defense. McLaughlin dribbled downfield into the box and right-footed a second for FCC.
While FCC keeper Mitch Hildebrandt kept Ottawa at bay in the first half, he did so with some massive help from Harrison Delbridge.
Following an Ottawa corner in the 39th minute, FCC midfielder Kenney Walker conceded possession. Ottawa’s Carl Haworth effort was deflected by Hildebrandt into the air within close range, and Delbridge performed acrobatically cleared the ball off the line to preserve the two goal advantage.
A 2-0 lead did not, however, permit FCC to get too comfortable. Luckily, an early second half strike from FCC gave them a little more breathing room. Defender Sem De Wit got on the receiving end of Tyler Polak freekick from the right side in the 57th minute and scored from close range to give the Orange and Blue a three-goal cushion. De Wit recorded his second goal on the season, and first for FCC during the regular season.
In the 63rd minute, Ottawa carved through the FCC defense for its lone goal of the match. Following a corner, Ramon Del Campo assisted forward Steevan Dos Santos on a try from inside the box in which Dos Santos finished past Hildebrandt at the far post.
In addition to his clearance in the first half, Delbridge was active throughout the second half with another defensive strong defensive showing out of halftime to make his mark on the outcome.
In the 47th minute, Hildebrandt had a diving save on an attempt from Ottawa’s Shane McEleney. Del Campo regained possession for Ottawa and tried one that was blocked by Delbridge and helped to maintain FCC’s lead.
FCC returns to the pitch on Saturday, September 2 against Pittsburgh Riverounds FC at Nippert Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
GOAL SUMMARY:
FCC: 34th – Danni König (Tyler Polak)
FCC: 42nd – Jimmy McLaughlin (Danni König)
FCC: 57th – Sem de Wit
OTT: 63rd – Steevan Dos Santos (Ramon Del Campo)
STARTING LINEUPS:
FCC: Mitch Hildebrandt, Matt Bahner, Sem De Wit, Justin Hoyte, Harrison Delbridge, Tyler Polak, Kenney Walker, Corben Bone, Jimmy McLaughlin Andrew Wiedeman, Danni Konig
OTT: Callum Irving, Andrae Campbell, Ramon Del Campo, Shane McEleney, Jonathan Barden, Jamar Dixon, Sergio Manesio, Gerardo Bruna, Carl Haworth, Steevan Dos Santos, Sito Seoane
Attendance: 20,058
