Covington, KY (May 23, 2022) - Matchday 3 for the Kings Hammer FC men's and women's teams brough the same result, but different scorelines. Friday night's match for the men kept an unbeaten streak going, and Sunday afternoon's match for the women saw them earn their first point of the season. A quick turnaround for the women, as they play again on Wednesday. The men have until Saturday before they play again. Both will be away for the next seven matches combined.

KHFC v. Cleveland Force SC - 2-2

The remnants of a storm that came through Northern Kentucky were still visible on the pitch before kickoff, which may have been indicative of what was going to take place on Friday night against Cleveland Force SC. The newest foe in USL League Two for KHFC, Cleveland surely wanted to be a force to be reckoned with as they were playing their inaugural match in the League.

It was the home team who looked the strongest early on, and most of the match, but Force made it their own game too. Kings Hammer struck early from a Taylor Dyson assist, who threaded a pass to Maouloune Goumballe for his first goal of the season. Unfortunately for KHFC, a stoppage time handball in the box led to a penalty kick for the Force, which they converted to take the momentum into the locker rooms at 1-1.

Goumballe nearly doubled his tally on the match in the 56' from a perfectly placed ball from Marcello Jones, but his attempt just got away from him as he missed the target. Shortly after, Force were able to take the lead in the 59' when two wayward passes from the KHFC defense led to a counter for a curling back post finish. Fresh legs for each team allowed for the match excitement to continue as KHFC were still clawing back. Fortunately for KHFC, a costly pass from the Force goalkeeper was intercepted by Goumballe who powered the ball into the back of the net for a 2-2 score in the 76'. As the last 15 minutes ticked off the clock, the draw probably stood as a fair result.

KHFC moved to 1-1-1 on the season while Cleveland went to 0-1-0.

KHFC v. Midwest United FC - 0-0

A match that saw some questionable weather over the weekend went on without a hitch. While both teams could have found a winner, it was probably a fair result for a draw. But, a goal either way would probably have happened if the two kept on playing.

The 0-0 scoreline may look like the action was missing, but the goalkeeping on both sides kept the match scoreless. The KHFC goalkeepers (Mickayla Kowalski and Abby Weller) combined to have eight saves on the match, Kowalski with four in the first half and Weller with four in the second half. The shutout was the first in KHFC's USL W League history.

Midwest United FC also got their first USLW shutout as Lauren Kozal also tallied four saves in the match. Kozal's biggest save came from a shot off of Jordyn Rhodes' right-footed volley. Nearly everyone in the stadium thought it was going to be a 1-0 lead for KHFC, but Kozal reached out with her right hand as she was moving to her left and got enough on the ball to keep it from going in. A Midwest United defender then came in to clear the ball off the line. The goal would have been Rhodes' first of the season, but she was just denied on the doorstep.

KHFC moves to 0-1-2 on the season and Midwest United stays unbeaten at 1-1-0.

Next matches
USLW: away v. Racing Louisville - Wednesday May 25 at 7:00pm
USL2: away v. South Bend Lions - Saturday May 28 at 7:00pm

Kings Hammer FC staff and players thank you for your support during the 2022 USL League Two and W League seasons and hope to see you throughout the season. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to keep updated on everything Kings Hammer FC. Contact the the Club for any questions or appearances.