LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lexington Sporting Club fell 3-1 inside Lexington SC Stadium against Fort Lauderdale United Sunday night.
The Greens fought hard in the contest, but a hat trick by Fort Lauderdale captain Addie McCain was ultimately too much to overcome. The contest also saw the debut of Amanda Allen for the club as a starter after returning from the U20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
Things got off to a slow start for the home side, who couldn’t seem to find the back of the net, despite numerous noteworthy shot attempts, including one by Marykate McGuire that caught a bad bounce off the crossbar.
Unfortunately for the home fans, this inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities early would come back to bite the Greens, who conceded the opening goal of the night in the 22nd minute when McCain was delivered a pass in the box by Sh’nia Gordon.
There were few scoring chances for the remainder of the first half barring one from the visitors that forced goalkeeper Bridgette Skiba to make a diving save, with the referee’s full-time whistle bringing about a 1-0 scoreline.
Back in action for the second half, things would get worse before they’d get better as McCain logged her second goal of the night in the 57th minute off an assist by a fresh Nia Christopher.
Needing a response, the Greens got one as Madi Perez took a free kick outside the box, sending the ball right to the foot of Sydney Shepherd, who logged her second goal of the season in the 59th minute to get the home side back within one.
“It felt amazing,” Shepherd said. “Being a center back, you don’t really score that much, especially not with your head, so I felt like a little striker out there. It was awesome.”
LSC continued to apply pressure, debuting the club’s first announced signing and New Zealand international Grace Wisnewski midway through the second half and Norwegian national Madelen Holme later in the half.
“(It felt) really good,” Wisnewski said of her debut. “It’s been a long time since coming back from injury to get back on the field, so super stoked to finally get started, but obviously gutted about the result, but we keep moving forward.”
Unfortunately for the Greens, the 89th minute would bring relief, but it wouldn’t be for them. Looking to stop a scoring chance, the LSC defense committed a foul in the box and the official pointed to the spot, giving a penalty kick to the visitors.
Stepping up to the plate was McCain once again, who calmly put the ball into the net for a hat trick and a two-goal lead for Fort Lauderdale.
While more scoring attempts would come, none would be fruitful as the full-time whistle delivered the 3-1 final score in favor of the visiting Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 52.7% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.48-1.38 advantage.
“We can’t cry about this because there were enough good things that happened,” head coach Mike Dickey said. “They were better today than they were a week ago in Dallas so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. In a few days we’ll be prepping for Brooklyn, that’s the nature of professional soccer. You have to have a short memory and move on. Fix the certain things that need to be fixed and keep building our chemistry. I like our team and their attitude and how they fought at the end was exactly what we want for this Lexington team.”
Next up for the Gals in Green, they’ll hit the road on Saturday, Sept. 28, to head up north, facing Brooklyn FC inside Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium in New York. Kickoff against Brooklyn FC is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air live on Peacock.
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.