DAVIE, Fl. – Lexington Sporting Club suffered a 2-0 defeat on the road against Fort Lauderdale United FC inside Beyond Bancard Field in Davie, Florida. The loss ended a two-match road skid to kick off the Spring season.
“We are going to figure this out,” Head Coach Maren McCrary said. “We know we can compete in this league. We are not giving up. If anything, these losses just build our resolve even more.”
The Greens got off to a strong start defensively, holding Fort Lauderdale scoreless in the first half with a yellow card to Claire Winter and a late substitution for LSC being the only moments of the first 45.
Back out for the second half of play, a lapse in judgement defensively allowed the home team to strike first as Addie McCain, scoring her fifth goal this season against LSC. McCain had a hat trick inside Lexington SC Stadium in the Fall and scored the lone goal in a 3-1 Greens win in Florida.
While some fresh legs on the pitch hoped to propel the Greens to an equalizer, Fort Lauderdale added a second in the 62nd minute courtesy of Ishata Hamid, the first United FC goal scorer against LSC not named McCain.
“Definitely a tough loss,” LSC’s Julie Mackin said. “We were able to execute the game plan in the first half. We had a 15-minute lull in the second half, leading to their two goals. If we can collectively create more attacking opportunities and stay locked in the entire 90 minutes, I believe our results will improve.”
From that point on, LSC’s back line returned to form, preventing any other damage, but the attack was simply unable to break through Fort Lauderdale’s defense for a scoring play.
Running out of time, the full-time whistle delivered a victory for Fort Lauderdale and disappointment for the Greens.
United FC controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 63.2% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.09-0.56 advantage.
With the result, Lexington SC will return home for the first time in the Spring for a match against Brooklyn FC. The Spring home opener will be the home debut for a number of midseason signings for the club. It is set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET from Lexington SC Stadium 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.