Hey there, Bluegrass Soccer fans! Lexington Sporting Club’s recent home opener against Forward Madison was nothing but a thriller. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was a historic moment for the club as they earned their first-ever point in club history.

Not only that, but the match also marked the first-ever clean sheet for Lexington SC and goalkeeper Austin Causey. Causey had an outstanding performance, making some expert saves to keep Forward Madison from scoring. This will make things very interesting as their “starting” keeper, Amal Knight, has been out on international duty with Jamaica over the last few weeks. 

Lexington entered the game on a grueling stretch, having played three games in just seven days. But that didn’t stop them from putting up a great fight in front of the packed stadium, with over 3,000 fans in attendance for their inaugural home game; the highest attendance in USL 1 over the weekend.

Lexington SC came out strong, with Ates Diouf putting up the first shot attempt in just the sixth minute of the game. However, it was Forward Madison who put up the first shots on target in the 21st and 26th minutes, both of which were saved by Causey.

The game was deadlocked at halftime, but Khalid Balogun nearly gave the home fans their first-ever goal at home in the 60th minute, only to be denied by Forward Madison’s goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann.

The home side kept the pressure on late in the game, with Terique Mohammed, Diouf, and Drew Patterson all putting up valiant efforts to score. However, the match ultimately ended in a 0-0 draw, with neither team able to find the back of the net.

Although Forward Madison controlled the possession in the match, holding the ball 58.5% of the time and finishing with a 0.85 to 0.64 advantage in expected goals, it was a solid performance by Lexington SC, especially given their recent busy schedule.

Head coach Sam Stockley was pleased with the team’s performance, saying, “I thought it was a fantastic opening night game tonight, and the boys worked extremely hard. Full credit to Forward Madison and everything they threw at us today, I’m really pleased with how our boys performed, happy with the result, and happier that we finally got this off the ground and all the supporters are supporting us.”

Next up for Lexington SC is their second consecutive home stand against South Georgia Tormenta on Saturday, April 15. We can’t wait to see what they bring to the field next, and we hope you’ll tune in to cheer them on!

Photo By: Fahad Alotaibi