Abdelattif Aboukoura, celebrating his goal to wrap up the game, with Kwame Awuah and Zach Ryan. Credit: Maya Lopez, Loudoun Times-Mirror

The Box Score

Three Things We Learned

Don’t Play With Your Food! 

Hugo made some good stops and was not afraid to challenge attackers near the edge of the box. However, there were a few heart-stopping moments where North Carolina FC took the ball from him or a defender around the box, and fired it at the goal. Thank your deity of choice that 10 of their 12 shots were not on target, but if they aimed just a little bit more to the left, we’re looking at a different scoreline in this recap. Hugo and his defenders should not be so fancy with playing it out of the back, and realize that sometimes just punting the ball downfield is the better option. If the other team gets the ball back, at least then they have to work their way back up, instead of having a clear line of sight to your goal.

Zen and the Art of Shot Selection

On the other side of the score sheet, Loudoun did show a surprising amount of patience with the ball. Not only did they get a slight edge in possession (about 53-47%) by the end of the match, but they put more balls on target and past the keeper. This team was incredibly patient (sometimes frustratingly so, see above) to pick their spots and their shots through NCFCs defense, but to their credit, it worked, and they got more goals (3) than cards (2) out of this game. Three different players ate on this matchday (four if you count Awuah’s assist).

We got spirit, yes? We do?

Maybe not a team issue specifically, but the thunderous Stampede rolled at a bit of a slow trot in the first half of the game. The drums and the chants were not quite there, to the point where an old man with a light brogue claimed he never heard the section so quiet, and this was shortly after Ryan scored the first goal. Whether it was struggling to coordinate chanting, problems with the drumsticks, or something else, that supporters section could use some more energy. 

On the bright side, the stands were a bit more full than previous years, and the crowd got into their own cheers and jeers at points throughout the game. The unseasonably warm weather helped, but there might be something there.

Man of the Match

Kalil ElMedkhar and Wesley Leggett congratulating Zach Ryan on his go-ahead goal. Credit: Maya Lopez, Loudoun Times-Mirror

The Stampede voted for Zach Ryan, who scored the game-winning goal. I could be contrarian and say that Kalil ElMedkhar deserved it, as both him and Ryan had a goal and assist each, while stretching the field with their runs and keeping the enemy midfielders guessing, but ElMedkhar got subbed out of the game earlier. So I’ll agree with Ryan as MotM by just a slight edge.

Honorable mention to Kwame Awuah, locking down Loudoun’s left wing and keeping an eye on Rodrigo da Costa to ensure he was a minimal factor in this game.

Up Next: Loudoun United plays their next three matches on the road, with their first stop against Detroit City FC, this upcoming Saturday on March 23, at 4:00 PM EDT.