(NashvilleSC.com, 08.04.18)

CINCINNATI, Ohio — A late goal by the bane of all FC Cincinnati fans, Tucker Hume, sealed a road result for Nashville SC against top of the table FC Cincinnati. The goal in the 86th minute, assisted by Ropapa Mensah, leveled the game at 1-1 and gave Nashville a much-deserved point at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday night.

90 in a nutshell

The opening minute of the match was not ideal for Nashville as FC Cincinnati got on an early counterattack and found paydirt to go up 1-0 on a Danni Konig strike. Nashville quickly brought it back into the attacking third and had a chance deflected away on a corner kick. From there, the road team settled in and found an offensive groove in a more aggressive formation with three players on the back line, five in the midfield and two strikers. Justin Davis and Matt LaGrassa each had dangerous chances that were pushed wide. By the end of the first half, Nashville owned nearly 55% of possession and had peppered Cincinnati’s defensive third with 10 total shots and two on target.

Nashville got back to the attack in the second half after Cincinnati earned a corner kick in the opening minutes of the second frame. Tucker Hume had a long crack towards goal that sailed high and wide. Nashville brought on Ropapa Mensah and Ish Jome in the 66th minute to bolster its offensive attack, and right as the pair came on, Michael Reed had a brilliant header on goal that was gloved down by keeper Evan Newton. Cincinnati’s newly-acquired Fanendo Adi had himself a stellar chance on net in the 81st minute, but Matt Pickens stood tall in his return to the lineup and made the lunging stop.

Despite some pressure from Cincinnati, Nashville kept pushing and found paydirt with a laser-like strike from Tucker Hume into the bottom left corner to tie the match in the 86th minute, and he celebrated by flapping his arms directly towards the FC Cincinnati supporters section. Lebo Moloto had a good chance in stoppage time, but the shot fell into the hands of Newton. Nashville held on from there to earn the draw.

Quotable

Nashville SC forward Tucker Hume

“I didn’t care if Reedy scored, Justin scored, I was doing [the celebration] when whoever scored.”

Key Stat

Points after trailing. This is the first time all season that Nashville SC has gone down in a match and come back to take a point.

Standings Update

With the point, Nashville stays in seventh place in the Eastern Conference in a tie for points with sixth-place Indy Eleven with 31 points.

Up Next

Nashville returns to the bright lights of First Tennessee Park on Friday night when the club takes on Ottawa Fury at 7:30 p.m. CT.