(NashvilleSC.com, 07.21.18)

OTTAWA, Ont. — Nashville SC looked poised to bag all three points in Ottawa, but the final 10 minutes went all wrong as two stoppage time goals by Ottawa Fury FC sealed a deflating 2-0 loss for Nashville.

90 in a nutshell

Two of the best defenses in the USL showed why through the first 80 minutes of the match, locking it down on both ends of the pitch. Both Nashville keeper Matt Pickens and Ottawa netminder Maxime Crépeau were outstanding the few times each was tested.

In the 81st minute, Nashville was awarded just its second penalty of the season, on an Ottawa handball, and it seemed the visitors would have the chance they needed to grab the win. It was not to be as Alan Winn’s penalty kick it the underside of the crossbar and popped out.

It went from bad to worse in the final 10 minutes as Nashville SC, who had already used three subs, lost defender Bradley Bourgeois to injury, had defender London Woodberry sent off with a second yellow card, and had Pickens tough out the final few minutes after taking a knee to the back. The losses mounted and Ottawa took advantage, scoring twice in stoppage time to grab all three points.

Quotables

Nashville SC head coach Gary Smith

“It’s a fine line. Looked like we were going to score and then they score. I think the first goal was very avoidable. The second was well-taken. It’s just a fine line between winning and losing, and we saw that tonight.”

Standings Update

With its second consecutive loss, Nashville SC drops to the eighth and final playoff spot in the USL Eastern Conference, stuck on 27 points.

Up Next

Nashville will have a quick turnaround as it returns home to First Tennessee Park to take on Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.