IRVINE, Cali. – Lexington Sporting Club reached a 2-2 draw with Orange County SC on the road inside Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California, staying undefeated to start the 2025 season.
“We played a very good Orange County Team on the road and I continue to be very proud to coach this group of men,” Head Coach Terry Boss said. “I love their character and resolve to play the game on our terms. They continue to show a relentless spirit to stay in the fight regardless of circumstance. To be down 1-0 early and play our way back to 2-1 on the road is a mark of a good team. We are all disappointed to not be coming back to Lexington with all three points. The disappointment is an indicator of the high standard we hold for ourselves. There is a lot of good to build on and a couple great lessons to learn from. Last night’s game will make us better.”
Things got off to a difficult start for the traveling Greens, who went down 1-0 early after Orange County’s Grayson Doody found the back of the net in the ninth minute. It was the first goal scored against LSC all season.
Undeterred, Lexington powered back for an equalizer in stoppage time courtesy of Braudilio Rodrigues, who scored his first goal with the club after logging an assist a week prior. Jack Beer earned an assist for the goal.
“Means a lot scoring my first goal for the club, but happy to have contributed to putting the team back in the game right before halftime,” Rodrigues said.
Coming back out for the second half of play, Lexington SC would quickly take the lead as Marcus Epps found the back of the net in the 53rd minute off an assist by Kieran Sargeant.
While the goal was notable, the match meant a bit more for Epps, who made his 200th USL Championship regular season appearance, logging over 15,000 minutes on the pitch in the current highest level of USL men’s soccer.
“I feel blessed to be able to reach such an achievement in my career,” Epps said. “Not many people can say they’ve played that many minutes in this league so I’m very proud of my journey & to reach that achievement with an organization like Lexington SC & with this group of players just makes this achievement even more special to me.”
The Greens would keep the advantage for the majority of the remainder of the contest until seven minutes of stoppage time gave the home side a chance to equalize, with Mouhamadou War slotting one in just before the full-time whistle, bringing about a sharing of points.
Orange County controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 54.3% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.82-0.83 advantage.
Up next, the Greens return home for their season debut in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, squaring off against Southern Indiana FC inside Lexington SC Stadium. The Greens will kick off their quest for a first U.S. Open Cup victory at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 19.
“Looking forward to playing my first (Lamar Hunt) U.S. Open Cup game, I’m sure the atmosphere will be amazing,” Rodrigues said. “We are excited to play and I’m sure the fans can’t wait to see another great night of ball.”
Media Information
All information provided is for immediate release. Any additional questions or requests should be sent to Emily Fields (efields@lexsporting.com) and we will do our best to accommodate the request.
Lexington SC will return home to face Southern Indiana FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup inside Lexington SC Stadium on Wednesday, March 19. Media wishing to cover that match should reach out to efields@lexsporting.com.
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.
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