July 27, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
Birmingham Legion FC on the field
(Birmingham Legion FC)
BIRMINGHAM, AL – Legion FC delivered its highest scoring home game in history on Wednesday night, knocking off Loudoun United 6-1 at Protective Stadium. The seven-goal thriller saw midfielder Bruno Lapa score Birmingham’s first-ever hat-trick, and forwards Mataeo Bunbury and Grayson Dupont both scored their first-ever USL Championship goals for the Legion.
Bruno Lapa made Legion FC history – after four years of waiting, fans finally got to enjoy their first hat-trick. Lapa was hot the whole game, registering 9 shots (the highest total for a Birmingham player this season in a single game). His first goal came in the 22nd minute — slotting one home into the bottom left corner from outside the 18-yard box.
“It’s a special feeling, obviously,” said Lapa. “But I think at the end of the day, it’s a team win, a team performance. Those individual things are nice for day or two, but we have a quick turnaround to play a game [at Hartford] on the weekend. And we are still chasing a home playoff game. I feel like with the last game that we had at home, we dropped some points. So, to bounce back with this midweek performance, it set us up for next game.”
Forward Prosper Kasim put the Magic City up by two in the 31st minute after capitalizing on a penalty kick, which would be the first of three on the night. Kasim remained cool and collected and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way, slipping one into the bottom-right corner.
Lapa scored his second goal of the game in the 42nd minute. After receiving a wonderfully weighted pass from defender Jonny Dean inside the box, Lapa was able to hammer one past Loudoun’s keeper to put Birmingham up 3-0 at half-time.
“I’m just happy for him,” said Assistant Coach Khano Smith when asked about Lapa’s stellar performance. “Bruno’s missed some time this season for various reasons, but he’s worked hard, and he’s trained really well. He’s been a good professional through the ups and downs of what he’s been going through and, he got rewarded for it tonight. You put in the work; you get rewarded.”
Shortly after kicking off the second half, Loudoun’s Houssou Landry received a red card in the 46th minute for a foul on a sprinting Bunbury inside the box that gave Birmingham a second penalty kick. With two goals to his name already, Lapa stepped up and Lapa converted, etching his name into the…