USL LEAGUE TWO: Louisiana Krewe stuns No. 1 Asheville City SC in Round of 32
- Dan Stickradt
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 22
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
DOTHAN, Ala. — Down goes No. 1 and the Louisiana Krewe pick up full credit.
The unranked Krewe stunned USL League Two top-ranked Asheville City 3-2 Friday afternoon at Rip Hews Stadium in Dothan, Alabama, in the Southern Conference Quarterfinals.
On a day where several highly-ranked and successful clubs went down, the Louisiana Krewe did its part after the game was delayed on multiple occasions for a combined two-plus hours.
Asheville City came into the game with a 10-0-2 record and a league-best 43-3 scoring edge (+40), which also included the league’s best goals-against-average (0.07) and nine shutouts in 12 regular seasons matches.
No team had scored more than one goal on Asheville City SC’s stout defense.
That is, until Friday.
Louisiana Krewe capitalized early, as Italo Jenkins took advantage of a miscommunication in Asheville City’s defense and he buried his opportunity into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead just a couple of minutes into the contest.
Asheville City SC equalized in the seventh minute when Tony Kims’ short pass over to Sergi Solans was redirected towards the goal for the 1-1 tie.
The Krewe regained the advantage in the 28th minute when Pol Mur’s goal put his side up 2-1 with a nice individual effort.
Asheville City hit the crossbar and goal post in the contest and continued its bad luck when Simon Carlson exited the game via a red card at 45+2, forcing the No. 1 team in the nation to have to play the rest of the game with 10 men.
Four minutes into the second half, Mur – who had three goals and two assists in the regular season – scored his second of the night in the 49th minute to extend Louisiana’s lead to a 3-1. The goal would later prove to be the game-winner.
The three-time South Central Division champion Blues (10-1-2) still found life with a series of chances in the second half even though they were down a player. Solans scored again in the 73rd minute again to bring his club back to within 3-2.
The Krewe’s defense entered lock-down mode after that point and ended up with the upset. Goalkeeper Max Hinke and his back line helped earn the win for the Mid-South Division champions.
The Krewe (9-2-2) will remain in Alabama and take on host Dothan United in the Round of 16/Southern Conference Semifinals at 7 p.m. Sunday. The Krewe also have a 29-16 edge on the scoreboard for the season.
Asheville City SC finishes with a 45-6 scoring edge this season, which is still tied for fewest goals allowed.
USL LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFFS SOUTHERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: https://wix.to/IKl4w6Q
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