CINCINNATI -- After a pair of devastating losses to the New York Red Bulls -- the first of which cost the team a shot at the U.S. Open Cup -- FC Cincinnati was well overdue for the win it secured Wednesday night.
The Orange and Blue beat the Ottawa Fury 3-1 at Nippert Stadium, marking what goalie Mitch Hildebrandt characterized as a morale turnaround for the team after its recent struggles.
"The coaching staff has been preaching, 'Don't get too high with the highs and don't get too low with the lows,'" Hildebrandt said. "We needed this performance tonight, and from minute one to minute 90 … every single person was up for it."
FC Cincinnati forward Danni Konig scored the game's first goal in the 34th minute, establishing a lead that his teammates would maintain for the remainder of the game's runtime.
Midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin followed it up with another FCC goal minutes later, and center back Sem de Wit scored the third in the 61st minute.
Ottawa struck back in the 63rd with a goal of its own, but never caught up to FC Cincinnati after that.
"It's been a tough, tough last week, but they responded in a brilliant way tonight," head coach Alan Koch said in a postgame interview.
