Loudoun United ended their prolonged road streak of games in their inaugural 2019 season with a goal in the 93rd minute to lose 1-0 to Birmingham Legion FC. There was a strange cloture of sorts in their scoring a 93rd minute goal tonight, their first home game though not a true one at Audi Field (home of parent club D.C. United). But the goal was a nice period to the end of a thrilling 3-3 story between the ponies and Bethlehem Steel FC before 824.
Loudoun started stronger and more proactive earlier than usual in past games, though never seeing a serious chance test goalkeeper Tomas Romero. The Steel (the Philadelphia Union’s USL side) began to take control after 20 minutes, with Chavany Willis and Michee Ngalina putting chances at Earl Edwards Jr., before Ngalina was sprung by a Zachary Zandi pass for a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute. Moments later Ngalina would get a brace, speeding past Harri Hawkins and Collin Verfurth’s attempts at an offside trap and beating Edwards. Moments later, D.C. loanee Akeem Ward would find Kyle Murphy with a pass down the right side, Murphy cut back and around Benjamin Ofeimu, firing a shot to Romero’s right for a 2-1 result into halftime.
The second half found Loudoun with a creative sequence; Connor Presley and Orlando Sinclair combined on a give and go (following a nice nutmeg from Presley) that Presley crossed into Murphy for his brace and a level game. The Steel would regain their composure and Faris Pemi Moumbagna would get fouled in the Loudoun box by Verfurth, drawing a penalty kick that Moumbagna would take and beat Edwards on to his left for a 3-2 lead. As the game headed into its six minutes of stoppage, a Andrew Jean-Baptiste volley was saved by Romero, falling to Sinclair for the goal and the eventual 3-3 result.
Loudoun (1-3-3) is back on the road next week, in North Carolina to play the Charlotte Independence next Saturday at 7pm.