LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - On a steamy Saturday night in a city known for basketball, bourbon and horse racing, a second-division men's soccer team who once played at a baseball stadium won its biggest regular season match in front of 13,526 fans. 

Louisville City Football Club welcomed the Charleston Battery, a team who trailed the USL Championship leaders by a single point, and sent a raucous crowd home happy with a 3-1 win. LouCity had lost its last two meetings with Charleston, but as soon as the first goal found the back of the net to earn a roar from the fans, you knew this was going to be Louisville's night.

Lynn Family Stadium

"I have a group that I know enjoys being around one another, leaves everything on the field every single time they come to work and that wants each other to do well," Cruz said. "That's a recipe for success. Football is a game that has a lot of different bounces. But I do know I have a group that shows me week in and week out that they're special."

Feeding off of the early energy in Lynn Family Stadium, the boys in purple pounced on the visitors to prove their head coach right. Aiden McFadden headed in a Ray Serrano corner in the 17th minute to ignite the fourth-largest crowd in LouCity history. Louisville threatened often in the opening 45 minutes, firing 10 shots to Charleston's four while winning five corners as well.

Aiden McFadden

"We were on them the whole time and we hit them a lot in transition," McFadden said.  "We really enjoy playing them. I felt like we owed them from last time."

The second half saw a local product in Elizabethtown native Jansen Wilson break free in the 82nd minute. Taylor Davila found him with a perfect pass and Wilson put away the chance that essentially sealed the match. 

"It's a massive win," Wilson said. "I think it sends a message to the whole league and that's our goal every game."

A new face wanted to welcome himself with a message of his own. Phillip Goodrum, who joined Louisville earlier this week following an intra-USL Championship record transfer, debuted for LouCity with the club's third goal of the night. 

"One of the biggest reasons I brought him in was because of his mentality," Cruz said. "When we played against him, every single time whether they were winning or losing, it didn't matter. He ran, he pushed, he fought and if you look at his very first run, he earns us a corner 10 seconds into his shift when the other team thinks that the ball is going out. And those are the things that he brings."

What LouCity keeps bringing are wins in the toughest portion of its schedule. Louisville has won five games in a row. Three of those are over the top two teams in the Western Conference (New Mexico United and Sacramento Repiublic FC) as well as the squad that now trails LouCity by four points for the top spot in the USL Championship (Charleston).

"I don't really care what they think," McFadden said in response to this being a statement game to the rest of the league. "It's about us. We know we probably could have done better there. I think we're going to be frustrated that we gave up a goal. But again, it's a special group and we have our own motivation internally."

All LouCity has ever needed to win two league titles, never miss a conference final and routinely pack Louisville Slugger Field or Lynn Family Stadium is that internal belief and investment. It pays off with nights like Saturday and has a real chance to ultimately pay off with a third star above the club's crest.

"Obviously, you hear the crowd, but you see the the joy in the players' faces," Cruz said. "You see the joy in the guys that you work with that are pushing one another every single day.

"I tell these guys all the time: Those are the moments and the memories that when you're done playing, you'll remember. That's what this game is about. It's about relationships, pushing people to be better and winning championships."

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