LEXINGTON, Ky. – Defensive struggles saw Lexington Sporting Club fall to Spokane Zephyr FC inside Lexington SC Stadium on Wednesday.
Things got off to a rough start early on for the Greens, conceding a goal in the sixth minute when Sydney Cummings was found on a corner kick by Emina Ekic.
This trend would continue early in the match as Zephyr FC added another in the 13th minute from Ekic herself.
“We’re in that situation at the minute where we’re conceding goals, but it’s not just one goal, it’s back-to-back. We’re working on it every day in training, we’re working on the mentality side of it,” Head Coach Sam Stockley said. “The only thing you can do when you’re going through these types of situations… as a group, we stick together, we keep working hard. I think you can see the group is working hard, they don’t give up, but we know this is a results based business.”
LSC would then tighten up defensively and put together some offensive opportunities, but none were quite able to get past Spokane before the halftime whistle brought about a break.
Back out for the second half, things would continue to be tricky as trouble dealing with a ball in the box allowed Ekic to score her brace in the 50th minute.
Once again, Lexington SC would tighten up defensively and work to put together attacking chances, but it was ultimately for not as the Gals in Green were unable to find the net in the contest despite the club debut of Yunaira Lopez.
“She’s (Lopez) awesome, again, another player that is thrown into any position and is ready to play,” Madi Parsons said. “She has a lot of grit, and she’s willing to go into tackles that are scary, but she’s great off the field too, an amazing person. Always brings energy and a smile on her face. We love her.”
Spokane controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 51.8% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.38-0.42 advantage.
Up next, the Greens hit the road for a three-match road trip, first taking on Brooklyn FC on Saturday, April 19, at 6 p.m. ET. That match, set to take place inside Maimonides Park, will air live on Peacock.
“I think Sam is doing a good job layering stuff on, we’re almost there,” Emma Johnson said. “We just need to fix some things.”
For Game Footage, click here. For additional media information such as game notes, photos, etc., please visit the Lexington SC Media Center.
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.