LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lexington Sporting Club secured a 5-0 win over Southern Indiana FC inside Lexington SC Stadium in the club’s debut match in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
After a two-goal performance on the road, there was no delay in action with the first goal being rocketed into the back of the net by Cory Burke in just the 13th minute of play. The goal was Burke’s first with the club, making his debut in the match. He was assisted by Alfredo Midence.
Things would go back and forth for much of the first half with a yellow card to Eliot Goldthorpe, but the Englishmen made up for it in the 42nd minute with the second goal of the night. The goal was unassisted.
“Eliot’s been fantastic,” Head Coach Terry Boss said. “He came in a touch late to preseason and it took him a little to get up and running – he’s a guy that, as a staff, we’re just constantly asking how do we get him on the field because he can beat you to the line, he can come inside, his ability to finish is fantastic. He’s been a hard worker. He’s a guy we’re really thankful to have a part of the group.”
Before long, the halftime period came and went with the Greens coming out with energy.
Proof of this energy was on display in the 46th minute as Midence secured the third LSC goal just one minute into the half.
The momentum didn’t stop there, however, as, following in his teammate’s footsteps, Lucas Stauffer launched a ball into the net, securing the fourth goal in the 53rd minute. The goal was the Kentucky native’s first in Lexington.
Things would get chippy with a pair of cautions, but the Greens weren’t done scoring as, wrapping up the game in a thrilling way, Braudilio Rodrigues joined in on the action, securing the team’s fifth and final goal in the 80th minute.
The full-time whistle would bring about Lexington’s advancement in the cup competition.
“It’s special. It’s the first year for us in the USL Championship as well and we’ve come in and we’ve set goals that we want,” Goldthorpe said. “We want to win trophies this year. We don’t want to be a team that’s going to build for a couple of years and then wait to win stuff. We want to win right off the bat. I think we inspired fans tonight and we played really well.”
Lexington SC controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 82.3% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 2.82-0.18 advantage.
Up next, the Greens stay on their home turf to face off against Indy Eleven, looking to secure back-to-back wins and stay undefeated in the USL Championship. The action kicks off at 7 p.m. ET from Lexington SC Stadium on Saturday, March 22.
About Lexington Sporting Club
Lexington Sporting Club is a U.S. Soccer professional soccer club competing in USL League One (U.S. Soccer third division men’s professional soccer), and in USL Super League (women’s professional soccer launching in 2024). The two professional teams are the pinnacle of the soccer ecosystem in Lexington that features more than 1,000 players within its youth and academy systems. Lexington SC in the process of building the club’s formal stadium, performance center and training fields.