Atlanta United 2 defeated Loudoun United 4-2 Friday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Bienvenue Kanakimana scored a hat trick while Jackson Conway sealed the win with his second goal of the year. Kanakimana extended his scoring streak to three consecutive matches during which he has tallied six goals.
Despite a promising start from Atlanta’s attack, Loudoun took the lead in the 14th minute after Antonio Bustamante played Gordon Wild through the middle of the field where he was able to sneak a shot past Brendan Moore.
Kanakimana leveled the match five minutes later after Will Vint played him down the right flank where he sprinted in behind Loudoun’s backline. The Burundian took one touch to put the ball on his left foot before finishing with a low shot at the near post. It was Vint’s first professional assist.
Loudoun regained the lead in the 24th minute through an own goal when Moore attempted to clear the ball, but it deflected off Wesly Decas and rolled into the net.
Four minutes later, Kanakimana again found the equalizing goal. Laurent Kissiedou and George Bello combined down the left side which resulted in Bello taking a shot on the edge of the six-yard box, but it was blocked and rolled away from goal. Cutting in from the right side, Kanakimana ran toward the loose ball and unleashed a curling strike with his left that soared into the top left corner.
Kanakimana completed his hat trick and gave ATL UTD 2 the lead in the 70th minute. Decas received a pass on the left side near midfield and quickly found the forward making a run down the left wing. Kanakimana dribbled into the box and slotted a low shot past Calle Brown with his right foot for his sixth goal of the year.
Jackson Conway later extended Atlanta’s lead in the 87th minute. Laurence Wyke gathered a loose ball in the defensive third and made a long run through the middle of the field. With a three-on-two advantage, Wyke laid the ball off to Conway on the right side where the 17-year-old settled the ball before striking it through the legs of Brown and into the net for his second tally of the season. It was Wyke’s first professional assist.
ATL UTD 2 (4-12-5, 17 points) returns to action Sunday, Aug. 11 against Louisville City at 3:00 p.m. EST at Louisville Slugger Field. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
