The wet conditions only intensified throughout FC Cincinnati’s third home match of the season at Nippert Stadium, but it hardly put a damper on the fanfare.

Cincinnati and Wilmington Hammerheads FC played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Nippert Stadium, with another 11,318 on hand to support the expansion side. The weather made things difficult on the pitch, but the backing was once again in top form.

“Conditions tonight changed the game – it was a battle, but we had a great crowd again,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach John Harkes said.

The club is now averaging 15,491 fans per game at Nippert, with the crowning achievement being a USL regular-season record attendance of 20,497 on April 16 against Louisville City FC.

One person who has been soaking in this animated experience is midfielder Paul Nicholson, who tallied the game-tying goal against his former Wilmington side – a place he called home for five seasons.

“It is kind of a strange experience to score against your old club,” Nicholson said. “I don’t normally score too many goals. … This is a brand new club for me and a great opportunity I’ve been given here. To make my first start and get a goal was an unbelievable experience.”

Goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt came up big on several instances for Cincinnati. The club gave up a first-half goal to Bruno Perone shortly after Hildebrandt made a clutch penalty kick save against Qudus Lawal. Beyond that, the defense stayed tighter the rest of the way.

Chalk it up as another learning moment for a team that is a modest 3-2-1 so far in its first campaign.

“You obviously want to be back there to help your team, and to get scored on every game so far is tough,” Hildebrandt said. “We are still working things out.”