Lexington Sporting Club ran out of time in a 3-2 effort against Tampa Bay Sun FC in the club’s maiden voyage in Lexington SC Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
The result marked the first ever blemish for the Gals in Green as they welcomed fans into their brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium located just off I-75 exit 104.
“(Getting the stadium open has) been absolutely incredible, we can’t thank the fans enough and everybody involved in getting this put together in such a fast time frame,” Lexington SC forward Marykate McGuire said. “It’s absolutely incredible and being here and playing on it for the first time, I feel so grateful and honored to be a part of this.”
The match was the second in competitive history for Lexington, with the Greens earning a 1-1 draw against league leaders Carolina Ascent on the road to start play.
Both clubs battled close early one with the home faithful cheering on Lexington, but apart from a blocked shot by Cori Sullivan, the home side struggled to put together a strong attacking chance in the first half.
As for Tampa Bay, it engaged in a battle of attrition, putting multiple shots on goalkeeper Bridgette Skiba before finally slipping one past her courtesy of Natalia Staude and an assist by Carlee Giammona.
The Sun would have a second goal before the halftime whistle when it flipped its scoring formula as Giammona found the back of the net after an assist by Staude.
The goal would go down as the final of the first half with both sides taking time to regroup and reassess during the break.
Rejuvenated by substitutes and an altered game plan, Lexington SC got one back in the 57th minute courtesy of a connection of Madisons as Madi Parsons found the back of the net on an assist by Madison Perez.
“Honestly I just started running across, I don’t know what was going through my head, I just saw it and was like, ‘Put that ball in the back of the net,’” Parsons said after the match. “It’s a great feeling, I’m very thankful to everybody that was a part of making this happen for us and for me.”
The Sun re-extended its lead in the 79th minute after the Greens bobbled a clearance, but the home side responded right back in the 83rd minute as McGuire sent one into the back of the net on a fast-break attempt.
Unfortunately for the home faithful, while LSC fought until the very end, an equalizer ultimately wasn’t in the cards as Tampa Bay held on for the 3-2 victory.
Tampa Bay controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 59.8% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.03-0.83 advantage.
Next up for the Gals in Green, they’ll hit the road to face off against Dallas Trinity FC at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. That match is currently scheduled to take place on Friday, September 13, at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on Peacock.
“Overall, when you look around at the stadium it’s unbelievable,” Lexington SC coach Michael Dickey said. “It could be one of the best venues in the United States for soccer only, so really proud of this moment, just wish we could have had three points today for the team and the fans and ownership. We’ll get (three points) next week when we go to Dallas.”
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.