Illinois Piasa Overcome Deficit to Take Down Lightning 11-8 

LOUISVILLE, KY - February 19, 2011 - After opening up a four-game winning streak,the Louisville Lightning have now dropped two straight in PASL league play.  The latter of the two losses came Saturday night at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex.

The Illinois Piasa made their first trip to Louisville and overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Lightning 11-8 in front of nearly a thousand fans Saturday. For the Lightning, it was not only the second loss in a row, but the defeat puts the team's playoff hopes in jeopardy as well.  Louisville has two games remaining in the regular season, hosting the Ohio Vortex next weekend and then visiting the Cincinnati Kings to close out the 2010-2011 campaign.

The Piasa were the aggressors from the opening whistle, with Chris Anzalone scoring just 31 seconds in to stun the home fans.  Seven minutes later, Illinois struck again when Aaron Reuther set up Roger Gemoules to put the visitors up 2-0.

Stunned from the opening moments, the Lightning fought back to change the momentum of the game.  Darren Yeagle would score the home side's first goal off an assist from Chad Hagerty with 4:38 left in the first quarter, then Yeagle would set up Mariano Gonzalez to tie things up at 2-2 with five seconds remaining in the period.

Louisville appeared to be in the driver's seat, as Nick Judah would give them their first lead early in the second period.  The Piasa's Jon Fridal would score his first of three goals to tie things up once again, but two goals from Tommy Clines and a second from Darren Yeagle would put the Lightning up 6-3 with 6:22 left in the first half.  With a comfortable lead, things began to unravel for Louisville.

Aaron Reuther and James Chambers would cut Louisville's lead to just one, then Jon Fridal would complete his hat trick on the night with two more strikes to put Illinois back on top 7-6 with 8:25 left in the third period.  Mariano Gonzalez would score his second goal to even things up once again, but Illinois would fire off three consecutive fourth quarter goals to go up 10-7.  Both teams would hit the back of the net late, but Illinois never let off the gas in the closing moments.  In the end, the Piasa shocked the Lightning 11-8 at Mockingbird.  Louisville now turns its
attention to the Ohio Vortex on Friday, February 25th in the final home game of the regular season.

Louisville Lightning Riding Two-Game Winning Streak Following 8-7 Victory Friday

LOUISVILLE, KY - February 4, 2011 - The Louisville Lightning appear to be hitting their stride at just the right time. After struggling to open the season, the Lightning have now won two straight league games following an 8-7 thriller over the Detroit Waza Friday in Louisville. It’s also the fourth victory in five games for the Lightning.

Friday’s game against the Detroit Waza didn’t start out the way Louisville had hoped. After pulling out a big road win against the Waza on January 15th, the Lightning were feeling confident heading into Friday’s matchup. Instead, Detroit jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead behind early goals from Danny Dragoil and Valentino Scicluna. Louisville would have a number of opportunities in the first period, but it wouldn’t be until John Michael Hayden’s fantastic left-footed bullet that the home side would hit the scoreboard. Louisville’s Chad Hagerty would tie it up at two apiece in the second quarter, but Detroit would again open up a two-goal lead with just 2:15 remaining. It was more than enough time for the Lightning, however, as Chad Hagerty and Darren Yeagle scored just 14 seconds apart to send the teams into the break with a 4-4 tie.

Louisville wore down the road-weary Waza in the second half, with the Lightning taking their first lead on an Adam Boyer strike to make it 5-4. John Michael Hayden and Darren Yeagle would make it 7-4 and seemingly put the game out of reach, but Detroit fired back, eventually cutting the lead to just one with 42 seconds remaining. Lightning goalkeeper Frank Peabody and the defense hung on despite Detroit pushing forward with a sixth attacker, and the Lightning claimed the 8-7 victory. Chad Hagerty led all scorers with three goals, while Darren Yeagle and John Michael Hayden both scored twice. Detroit’s Valentino Scicluna and Costea Decu both had two goals for the visitors.

Louisville now travels to Canton, Ohio Saturday night for a meeting with the Ohio Vortex. For the third consecutive game, the Louisville Lightning set an attendance record. A franchise record 1,587 fans packed into Mockingbird Friday night to see the Lightning’s dramatic 8-7 win over the Waza.

Louisville Lightning Send Ohio Vortex Packing After 8-3 Win Friday Night

LOUISVILLE, KY - January 28, 2011 – The Louisville Lightning got back on the winning track Friday night, easily defeating the Ohio Vortex 8-3 at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex. The Lightning have now won two of their last three games after struggling in league play to start the season. The Ohio Vortex made their first trip to Louisville this season, but it was likely a trip they’d like to forget.

Louisville rolled out to a 4-0 lead to open the game Friday night at Mockingbird, and the Lightning dominated in nearly every aspect of the game. The hosts fired off 34 shots on goal compared to just 21 for the visitors from Canton, Ohio. Adam Boyer opened the scoring just under seven minutes in on a beautiful flip pass from Kolby Lacrone to put the Lightning up 1-0. Boyer would assist John Michael Hayden as the Lightning doubled their lead in the first period, then the hosts would build a 4-0 lead before Ohio’s Jared Dombrowski would score on a power play to put the Vortex on the board. The two teams went into the break with Louisville leading 4-1.

Ohio’s Georgi Petrov would hit the back of the net halfway through the third period to make it a 4-2 game, but Louisville would again dominate and take over. Jerry Chavez would score his second goal of the game to make it 5-2, and Adam Boyer would add two more to give the Louisville native a hat trick en route to the 8-3 victory.

After missing last week’s game due to injury, Lightning goalkeeper Frank Peabody returned to the lineup and made 15 saves Friday. Boyer led all players with five points on the night, followed by Chad Hagerty with three. Darren Yeagle and Jerry Chavez finished with two, while no Ohio players had more than one goal or one point on the night.

The Lightning now get ready to host the Detroit Waza in league play. The two teams have split both meetings this season, with the Lightning winning at Detroit two weeks ago. Game three between the two teams will take place Friday, February 4th at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex in Louisville.

Kings Emerge Victorious over Lightning

LOUISVILLE, KY - January 22, 2010 - The Louisville Lightning hung with the Cincinnati Kings in their third meeting of the season, but like the previous two contests, Cincinnati got just enough to pull out the win. This time, Kings’ goalkeeper Craig Salvati had 13 saves, and Jeff Hughes earned a hat trick to lead Cincinnati to the 10-7 win over the Lightning at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex.

Louisville entered Saturday’s game feeling confident after picking up a big road victory last weekend against the Detroit Waza. Coach Ted Nichols said the team was ready for the game against their archrivals, but it was Cincinnati who would light up the scoreboard first. Drew Ducker scored just over four minutes in off an assist from Sam Fiore to put Cincy up 1-0. Louisville would tie it up at the 4:26 mark with a goal from Adam Boyer, but the Kings would jump out in front once again. Despite the Lightning’s ability to fight back, Cincinnati had an answer for every Louisville run, and the home side never led in Saturday’s game.

The Kings would be unable to build more than a one-goal lead until the third quarter, when Jeff Hughes put the Kings up 6-4 with 4:49 left. The Lightning would cut the lead to one once again, but Cincinnati would again answer, eventually building a three-goal lead on two separate occasions in the final period. Louisville would battle back to cut the lead to two, but Cincinnati would put it out of reach with the superior play of goalkeeper Craig Salvati. Cincinnati’s Kwame Sarkodie and Sam Fiore both finished with two goals in addition to the hat trick from Hughes.

Simon Bird led the Lightning in scoring with two goals, while five other players scored for the hosts. Former MLS star John Michael Hayden led all players with four assists on the night.

Louisville now looks ahead to next weekend’s game, when they host the Ohio Vortex at Mockingbird Friday, January 28th at 8 PM. The game will be a battle between the third and fourth-place teams in the Professional Arena Soccer League Eastern Division.

Lightning Dominate in 23-5 Win over AAFC

LOUISVILLE, KY - January 17, 2010 - The Louisville Lightning Professional Arena Soccer League team advanced to the US Open Cup Semifinals Friday night, defeating AAFC of Indianapolis 23-5. Mariano Gonzalez led all scorers with four goals on the night, while Louisville’s Nick Judah, Kolby Lacrone, and Simon Bird each added a hat trick to pace the hosts.

The Louisville Lightning have advanced to the semifinals of the tournament for the second consecutive season, this time defeating AAFC 23-5. The Indianapolis-based club pulled one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in the round of 16, taking down the Detroit Waza to set up the quarterfinal meeting with Louisville. Friday’s game was a contest for only a few minutes, and it was actually AAFC that opened the scoring early on. Louisville looked timid through much of the first quarter, struggling to find consistency and establish the tempo.The Lightning re-organized in the second quarter, blitzing AAFC and building a comfortable 12-2 lead by halftime.

Louisville’s Kolby Lacrone and Simon Bird found the back of the net to put the visitors away, and Louisville established a commanding 18-3 lead by the end of the third period. With the end result not in question, Louisville scored five more goals in the final period to earn the win. They will now face the winner between the Cincinnati Kings and Illinois Piasa next month in the US Open Cup Semifinals.

The Lightning return to league action next Friday when they travel to Detroit to take on the Waza, and the team hosts its next home game on January 22nd against the Cincinnati Kings.

Sockers Edge Lightning in 10-7 Win

LOUISVILLE, KY - December 17, 2010 - The San Diego Sockers held off a late flurry of goals from the Louisville Lightning to move to 6-0 on the season, defeating the Lightning 10-7 Friday night. Kraig Chiles and Nick Perera each scored a hat trick for the Sockers en route to the victory. After dismantling the Evansville Crush 25-3 last weekend, the Louisville Lightning were back in action Friday, albeit against a much tougher opponent. The reigning Professional Arena Soccer League and US Open Cup champions were at Mockingbird for a rematch of last season’s US Open Cup title game.

Louisville jumped out to a 1-0 lead less than two minutes in when Jerry Chavez set up Mariano Gonzalez, but San Diego would rattle off seven unanswered goals to take a commanding lead by the beginning of the second half. San Diego utilized its style of physical play and a tremendous size advantage to build a cushion, but Louisville would fight back.

The Lightning would cut the lead to 7-2 with just over three minutes left in the third period, but San Diego would add three more goals to make it a 10-2 game. The final ten minutes of the game would see Louisville score five unanswered goals from five different players. With a rejuvenated team and a more aggressive approach, the Lightning cut the lead to just three in the closing minutes, but the final whistle blew ending the home side’s hopes. Louisville finished with 30 shots on goal, compared to 27 for San Diego.

Sockers’ goalkeeper Riley Swift had 19 saves, while Lightning keeper Frank Peabody saved 16 attempts. Seven different players scored for the Lightning, with John Michael Hayden, Jerry Chavez, and Kolby Lacrone each finishing with two points on the night. The Lightning return to action on New Year’s Day, when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Kings in PASL league play.

Evansville Crushed by Lightning

LOUISVILLE, KY - December 10, 2010 - The Louisville Lightning opened up their 2010-2011 US Open Cup campaign with a convincing 25-3 win over the Evansville Crush Friday night at Mockingbird Valley Sports Arena.

It was the Lightning's second win of the season, with both victories coming in the previous seven days. After the team's first road trip of the season last weekend, the Lightning were back at home Friday night hosting the Evansville Crush in US Open Cup play. Evansville qualified for the nation's largest pro-am arena soccer tournament by winning the Hoosier Cup Tournament in October, setting up a meeting with the Lightning. The tournament initially started with 49 teams from across the nation, but just 16 were left standing heading into this weekend's action.

Louisville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening ten minutes of play behind two quick goals from Louisville native and former Indiana University star Darren Yeagle. They would open up an 8-0 lead at the end of the first period and never look back. Adam Boyer led all scorers with five goals on the night, while Yeagle and Kolby Lacrone each scored four to lead the Louisville offense. Ten different players scored for the Lightning Friday night. Louisville now focuses on a showdown with last year's US Open Cup champion, the San Diego Sockers. The two teams met in the tournament’s title game last March, with San Diego pulling out an 11-7 victory over the Lightning.

A rematch of the tournament's championship game will take place Friday, December 17th at Mockingbird Valley between the Lightning and Sockers at 8 PM. It is San Diego’s first trip back to Louisville since the US Open Cup title game.

Lightning Fall to Waza in Tense Match

LOUISVILLE, KY - November 19, 2010 - The Louisville Lightning dropped their second game of the season to the Detroit Waza 6-4 Friday night. It was the first victory for the Waza over the Lightning in six meetings all-time. The Lightning got off to a fast start against Detroit.

Kolby Lacrone, who was making his Lightning debut, scored the opening goal to put the home side up 1-0 with 5:40 remaining in the first period. Detroit’s Costea Decu evened things up just over a minute later, and the defender would lead the Waza with two goals and an assist on the night. The two teams traded goals for most of the game, with neither team able to build more than a one-goal lead until the final moments.

Detroit gained the advantage despite numerous looks from the Lightning. Louisville had 37 shots on the night, and Detroit goalkeeper Vito Lonigro finished with 28 saves. The Waza went into the final moments with a 5-4 lead when coach Ted Nichols pulled goalkeeper Frank Peabody in hopes of finding an equalizer. Instead, Detroit added an extra goal in the final moments to secure the win.

The Lightning was led by Jerry Chavez, who scored twice for the home side. In addition to Decu, Detroit’s Matt Johnson chipped in two goals for the Waza.

“This was simply experience versus inexperience,” Lightning coach Ted Nichols said after the game. "Detroit has a lot of players that have been playing together for many years, and we have a lot of players that are new to the indoor game. We’ll get there, but it’s disappointing to drop this one,” Nichols said.

The Lightning now have a week off before their first road trip of the season, visiting San Diego and Tijuana in early December.

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