LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It wasn’t just a win. It was a four-goal fireworks show before halftime.
A crowd of 13,611 came for a soccer game and left wondering if they’d stumbled into a summer blockbuster. First came an electric guitar national anthem, the kind you could feel in your molars. Then a flyover that rattled the drink cups and pyrotechnics that singed the skyline.
And all that was before LouCity scored in the third minute.
By the time the boys in purple were done with Charleston in this “Fill the Fam” showdown for No. 1 in the USL Championship, the scoreboard read 4–1, the Battery looked defused, and Lynn Family Stadium had roared itself hoarse.
LouCity’s opening half was a precision drill — four shots on target, four goals. At the state fair, they’d have cleaned out the midway and lined the sideline with stuffed animals.
Aiden McFadden climbed a ladder to win a header, slipped Phillip Goodrum in behind, and Goodrum tucked it away to set the tone while the opening credits were still rolling. Then Jansen Wilson scored once (16th minute), then twice (28th minute), before Taylor Davila stepped up in stoppage time to lash a penalty kick into orbit.
“What an atmosphere, man,” Goodrum said. “We knew Fill the Fam Night is always a special one, especially when it’s a 1 vs. 2 game. This city — this crowd — really showed out. You could feel it. Right from the start we were all over them. We were flying, hungry for a goal. You can’t really ask for much more than that in the first half. I think we fed off the atmosphere.”
Charleston tried to change the script with four halftime subs and finally pulled one back in the 52nd minute. But LouCity goalkeeper Damian Las made sure there would be no comeback — his five saves included a double-stop in the 11th minute that nearly blew the roof off the place.
“That was the first time I’d ever heard a crowd that loud for a save,” Las said. “I was pretty excited about it.”
The win pushes LouCity three points clear at the top, with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand. The defending Players’ Shield holders now have 11 games to secure the No. 1 playoff seed — and maybe set the stage for another USL Championship run. It was the 11th time in as many matches that Charleston has left Louisville without a win.
And in addition to the scoring brilliance, LouCity fans got another gift near the end of regulation – Brian Ownby made his first appearance of the season
“I think you’ve seen it year after year — when this stadium is as full as that — two things,” said coach Danny Cruz. “One, we take a lot of pride in making sure we’re putting a performance together that reflects the community and everyone can enjoy and be proud of. And second, it is really difficult for the opponents to play in that environment. Anytime that this place is full like that, we’re going to continue to leave our hearts on the field for the fans and do everything we can to put together a performance they can be proud of.”
On nights like this, it’s hard to argue with him.
From here, the mission shifts to a second straight Players’ Shield and locking down the No. 1 playoff seed. Cruz’s focus, though, stayed in the short term — rest, recovery, and the next whistle. That comes Saturday night in Miami, the first of 11 remaining steps before the postseason lights go up.
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.