Loudoun United’s Wesley Leggett may have grabbed the headlines on April 5 with his game-winning goal in the 116th minute of extra time. However, it was Loudoun goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux who grabbed several key saves to lead the USL Championship club to a 2-1 victory over USL League One side North Carolina FC in the Second Round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
A 26-year-old native of Cannes, France, Fauroux was spectacular on the night, earning Man of the Match honors and allowing Loudoun to win the club’s US Open Cup debut and advance to Round 3. Some of Fauroux’s best saves came late in regulation.
It had to be him ????
— Loudoun United FC (@LoudounUnitedFC) April 6, 2023
Zach Ryan heads it in to give Loudoun United the lead in our first-ever Open Cup match! ElMedkhar with the inch-perfect assist.@OpenCup ✘ #LDNvNC pic.twitter.com/GIEMlA6G6T
In the 86th minute, he stopped a point-blank shot by NCFC’s Jaden Servania that was headed into the right corner of the goal to keep the score deadlocked at 1-1.
Then, in the 94th minute of stoppage time, Fauroux made a save on NCFC’s Rafa Mentzingen and Loudoun defender Koa Santos was able to clear the ball on the goal line.
Before Fauroux’s heroics, Loudoun opened the scoring with an early goal in the 7th minute of play when midfielder Kalil ElMedkhar delivered a cross into the box that was headed home by Zach Ryan.
In the 67th minute, Servania tied the match for North Carolina FC as his strike from outside of the box was the only shot of the night to beat Fauroux.
Before substitute Abdoul Zanne found Leggett for Loudoun’s game-winner late in extra time, North Carolina FC had several chances to take the lead during the 30-minute session. And once again Fauroux came up big.
In the 98th minute, a shot by NCFC’s Luis Arriaga was tipped over the bar by Fauroux. Then in the 113th minute, Faroux stopped a point-blank shot by Mentzingen.
“The magic of the Open Cup,” said Loudoun head coach Ryan Martin. “We made some key blocks, whether it was Koa’s on the line, Hugo’s saves, Janis (Leerman) and Bryce (Washington) made some key tackles and plays…Wow, what a performance.”
Despite playing in its fifth season in the USL Championship, this was the first US Open Cup match for Loudoun, who had been ineligible in prior years as the club was owned by DC United. In February, it was announced that Attain Sports & Entertainment had purchased a majority ownership stake in the club, making it eligible to compete in the Open Cup as an independent club.
Loudoun will host Flower City Union of the National Independent Soccer Association on either Tuesday, April 25 or Wednesday, April 26 at Segra Field in Leesburg, VA. Flower City advanced to the Third Round with a 3-1 win over USL League Two club Manhattan SC on April 4.
