LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It felt like déjà vu. It mostly was until the very end.

Louisville City FC and New York Red Bulls II met in the playoffs last year at Red Bull Arena, which ended in a 1-1 scoreline and NYRB II advancing on penalties. With a spot in the USL final on the line Saturday, why would it be any different?

The two sides again went to penalties knotted up 1-1, only this time Louisville City FC mustered some magic in the shootout to prevail 4-3 after erasing a 3-1 deficit.

TFW you bounce back from 3-1 down in a penalty shootout to ship it 4-3 and it’s onto the @USL championship match. #USLPlayoffs #SocTakesPod pic.twitter.com/V8mcyPozVF — Soc Takes (@SocTakes) November 5, 2017

LouCity’s listed starting XI appeared to be a 4-5-1 on paper, but the hosts lined up in a three-back formation when they took the pitch. Kyle Smith spent most of his evening pushed up as wing back on the right side. Red Bulls II came out in a 4-3-3.

It didn’t take long for the match to open up.

“I think that’s a testament to us because we try to create that kind of stuff,” said NYRB II head coach John Wolyniec of the openness of the match. “In a lot of ways the game looked like we wanted it to. Maybe not in the beginning of the game until the time when they scored. But after that moment on, by no means were we in control of the game, but we made it a game that we feel comfortable in and a game that we like to play. And again, against a really good team at a place that they’re really good — at home.”

Louisville City FC found some success attacking up the left side in the opening 10 minutes, while NYRB II mostly threatened with long crosses into the box. Despite the constraints of Louisville Slugger Field, ample space was there for the taking in the midfield and on the flanks.

In the 12th minute, LouCity right winger Brian Ownby took a headed pass from Luke Spencer and fired a half volley into the back of the net to put the hosts on top. The two clubs headed to halftime with the 1-0 scoreline in tact.

Neither side made changes at the break with the potential for extra time in play. And sure enough, Red Bulls II equalized in the 57th to make that possibility even more likely.

It was a phenomenal individual effort by left winger Junior Flemmings that brought the visitors level. Flemmings navigated his way through multiple Louisville players into the box, then hit a low shot that deflected off a sliding defender and past ‘keeper Greg Ranjitsingh.

“We played 120 minutes like five days ago,” Flemmings said. “So we didn’t have it easy, but we really pushed the game. At one point in the game I know I started feeling my hammies and stuff like that. It was really tough, but I was really pushing it. I did what I have to do, give it all I got, and then someone else came on and finished the job. So I think I did a very good job in the interest of the team.”

The match got more and more physical as it wore on. With so much at stake and the game tied, every foray into the final third was met with resistance. LouCity thought it deserved a penalty late in the second half after a sloppy NYRB II challenge in the box, but head referee Sorin Stoica felt otherwise.

In extra time, left back Ethan Kutler nearly put the visitors up with perfectly struck free kick from just outside the box, but a spectacular fingertip save by Ranjitsingh kept matters level. The two evenly matched clubs headed to penalties at the final whistle.

The shootout looked like déjà vu all over again for Louisville City at first. The purple-clad side fell behind 3-1 after the first three Red Bulls II players converted from the spot, while LouCity missed one of its first two attempts. But the home side buried its third attempt to make it 3-2, and consecutive misses by NYRB II combined with a successful attempt by Oscar Jimenez saw Richard Ballard step to the spot with a chance to win it.

Ballard cooly buried it to his right side to make Louisville City FC the champions of the USL Eastern Conference. LouCity will now host the Swope Park Rangers on Nov. 13 in the USL final.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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