LEXINGTON, Ky. — At this time a year ago, the Lexington Sporting Club women were 4W-14L-5D. They were the not-so-proud owners of the most losses in the Gainbridge Super League and marginally led DC Power FC by one point. They finished in last place and with a –33 goal differential that left no room for nuance.
Only one player, Madi Parsons, managed to score five goals.
That season now feels like a distant memory — something LSC fans experienced lifetimes ago at The Stables.
After securing the first playoff berth in club history last weekend with its 4-0 thrashing of Tampa Bay Sun FC, last season’s champions, the rise of the LSC women in 2025/26 is greater than a mere bounce-back.
It is the result of a clear vision and relentless commitment from everyone in the locker room and front office to not let one difficult year define the club’s trajectory.
What a difference one year can make.
A Historic Offseason
The club signaled its intentions immediately. Fifteen new players arrived in the offseason, indicating a clear change in direction and roster investment never before seen in the Gainbridge Super League.
Initial headlines featured the record-setting transfer acquisitions of two of the best players from the league’s inaurgural season, Addie McCain and Emina Ekić. LSC supplemented its two premier purchases with talent from all levels — the Gainbridge Super League, NWSL, the NCAA and internationally.
Masaki Hemmi was named the group’s head coach, and even following his departure to the men’s side in December, the LSC women did not skip a beat under incoming manager Kosuke Kimura.
The results of this offseason transformation speak for themselves, and do so loudly.
Lexington opened the season with a league-record 16-match unbeaten streak, posting a +19 goal differential and five clean sheets along the way.
Just over halfway through the season, the club had already surpassed its 2024/25 points and scoring totals.
On-Field Contributions
While the club’s playoff-caliber success has certainly been a team effort from back to front, Catherine Barry’s impact this season cannot be overstated.
Barry was still at the University of South Carolina during LSC’s inaugural season, too busy logging 26 goal contributions in 22 matches to take note of LSC’s run of form.
After signing with Lexington, it was abundantly clear the forward was about to take the Gainbridge Super League by storm. Taking note, Lexington and Barry agreed to a contract extension after just one professional appearance.
The vote of confidence looked shrewd within weeks.
Barry now leads the Golden Boot race with only four matches to play. She shattered the league’s single-season goal record by recording the first hat trick in club history, and is tracking toward MVP honors of a first-division professional soccer league as a rookie.
However, Barry has not shouldered the scoring load alone.
McCain and McKenzie Weinert each have seven goals to their name, a feat no player accomplished for Lexington all of last season.
Six players have registered three or more assists compared to three last season.
Goalkeeper Kat Asman ranks second in the league in saves and has broken the club clean sheet record with nine. LSC managed only two shutouts last season in total.
Still Plenty to Play For
Any time a member of the group has been asked about what LSC is still looking to accomplish this season — whether it be Kimura, Barry, captain Taylor Aylmer — the response has been uniform and decisive.
A playoff berth is meaningful, but it is only step one.
Next up: secure a home playoff match, something the club is currently positioned to do.
After that: capture the Players’ Shield by finishing first in the regular season standings. That goal remains firmly in reach as Lexington trails league-leaders Sporting JAX by only four points, and the two will meet again April 25 in Florida.
All of it leads to the final destination: a championship.
For the coaches and players, simply turning the page on last season is not the goal. It never was. Silverware is the ultimate prize.
This group is already the only professional women’s sports organization in the city to clinch a playoff berth — now they’re in line to win the first championship in Lexington’s women’s sports history.
The Blueprint
The reversal of fortune engineered by the LSC women from Year One to Year Two is not a happy accident. It is the result of commitment. A commitment to the city, to the fans, to the league and its own standards.
No team is defined by one season’s results, but they are defined by their response. The Lexington SC women refused to be defined by a last-place finish in 2024/25.
No club in the Gainbridge Super League boasts a better combination of facilities, roster depth and quality on the pitch. Now it has the results to back it up.
Although only in its second season, the club should serve as a blueprint for all professional sports organizations looking to rewrite its story.
Bring on the final two matches of the regular season, and bring on the playoffs.
This group is ready to break more records.
