Orange County SC had their first meeting with USL Championship newcomers Lexington SC tonight in a thrilling match in front of a raucous crowd. Orange County debuted the new “Back to Blue” kits, an homage to their origin as the L.A. Blues and to the 2021 Championship winners. The match ended in a draw thanks to a late equalizer from OC’s Mohamadou War.
The kits weren’t the only new thing on the pitch. The Black & Orange displayed a new, unconventional 2-5-3 lineup structure to confront injuries within their squad.
Orange County scored first in the 10th minute after a flying pass from Ryan Doghman allowed a sharp header into the net for Grayson Doody. Another big chance was created in the 19th minute but was ultimately knocked out by Lexington SC’s Logan Ketterer.
Lexington SC had plenty of opportunities to show off their corner set pieces. The team racked up 6 corner kicks in the first half, compared to OC’s one.
In the one minute of stoppage time, Lexington SC’s Braudilio Rodrigues found a chance to slip one past Colin Shutler, and the first half ended with the two teams level at 1-1.
Lexington SC turned the game around in the second half, taking the lead in the 53rd minute on a deflected shot off the posts by Marcus Epps that ricocheted around the goal and ended up in the side of the net. As the game progressed, tensions mounted, and the County Boys pushed hard for an equalizer.
OCSC carried possession 68% to Lexington’s 36% in the second half as they fought for chances to equalize. Chris Hegardt’s shot in 84’ lit up the fans, although it clipped the top post – just shy of a goal. OCSC was able to nab four shots on goal as the half progressed.
Mohamadou War, who joined the team as a result of open tryouts, was subbed in for Ashton Miles in the 82’ – a substitution that opened some doors for the Black & Orange. In the dying seconds of the match, War used his quick reflexes to earn a close-range goal in the 90+7′ minute, salvaging a dramatic point with his late heroics.
The match ended after 11 minutes of stoppage time, and Orange County was able to pull off the point at home. Orange County SC outshot Lexington SC 14 to 9, while Lexington SC had more corners, with 9 to Orange County’s 5. Mohamadou War’s equalizer nabbed him the title of Man of the Match.
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
– With the draw Orange County SC’s ties the club’s longest regular season unbeaten streak at 10, dating back to last season Sept. 14, 2024 against Rhode Island FC. OCSC had previously recorded a 10-game undefeated streak between Sept. 30, 2023 and April 13, 2024.
– Mohamadou War a two-time trialist from the OCSC open tryouts made his USL debut and scored his first goal for OCSC.
– Former UCI Anteater Roberto Molina got the start for OCSC tonight
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL-TIME |
| OCSC | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| LEX | 1 | 1 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
10’ Grayson Doody (Ryan Doghman Assist)
45+1’ Braudilio Rodrigues
53’ Roderick Epps
90+8 Mohamadou War
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
LEXINGTON SC
77’ Sofiane Djeffal – Yellow Card
80’ Logan Ketterer – Yellow Card
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Tom Brewitt (C), Pedro Guimaraes (57’ Ousmane Sylla), Ashton Miles (82’ Mohamadou War), Nico Benalcazar, Grayson Doody, Roberto Molina Montano (67’ Benjamin Barjolo), Ryan Doghman, Chris Hegardt, Kyle Scott, Ethan Zubak
Unused subs: Tetsuya Kadono (GK), Fernando Aguirre (GK); Danny Garcia, Oliver Kernik, Gavin Karam
Head Coach: Danny Stone
Possession: 54% | Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 8 | Corners: 5 | Fouls: 10 | Offsides: 1 |
LEXINGTON SC LINEUP:
Logan Ketterer (GK); Danny Barbir, Kendall Burks, Joe Hafferty, Kieran Sargeant (69’ Jacob Greene), Sofiane Djeffal (86’ Gael Gilbert), Devon “Speedy” Williams, Nick Firmino, Marcus Epps, Jack Beer (64’ Eliot Goldthorp), Braudillo Rodrigues (86’ Christian Volesky)
Unused Subs: Brooks Thompson (GK); Lucas Stauffer, Edrey Caceres,
Head Coach: Terry Boss
Possession: 46% | Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corners: 9 | Fouls: 12 | Offsides: 1 |
Orange County SC v. Oakland Roots SC
2025 USL Championship | Matchday 2
Date: March 15, 2025
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: Back to Blue Skies