Late Lexington SC Equalizer Sees Greens Stay Undefeated against Spokane Zephyr FC

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USL1 Lexington Sporting Club

Late Lexington SC Equalizer Sees Greens Stay Undefeated against Spokane Zephyr FC

November 13, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Lexington Sporting Club News Release


Lexington SC forward Marykate McGuire (12) takes a shot on goal in the rain
Lexington SC forward Marykate McGuire (12) takes a shot on goal in the rain
(Lexington Sporting Club, Credit: Tommy Quarles)

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Lexington Sporting Club reached a 1-1 draw with Spokane Zephyr FC inside Lexington SC Stadium on Wednesday after a late equalizer by Marykate McGuire.

"We definitely are fighting every day," McGuire said. "It's been a hard couple of weeks for us trying to fight back and get points and, tonight, we wanted to do the same thing and just get on the board and keep going. It will hopefully set the momentum going forward for the rest of the games for the year."

Things got off to a slow start on a chilly and rainy night in the Bluegrass, with both sides in a dead-lock for the first quarter of play.

Unfortunately for the home fans in attendance for Taylor Swift "Eras" night, it would be Spokane that would first get on the board, drawing a penalty in the 25th minute of play.

Stepping up to the spot was a name women's soccer fans in the Commonwealth were likely quite familiar with in Emina Ekic. The Bosnia and Herzegovina national calmly snuck a ball past Sarah Cox for the opening goal.

The opening goal certainly added a spark to the action as the rain continued to pour, but the first half did not have any other scores in the cards as two minutes of stoppage time came and went.

Back out for the second half, the Greens fought for an equalizer, being unsuccessful for much of the period, utilizing the depth of their roster to keep fresh legs on the pitch.

It wouldn't be until the 86th minute that the Greens would finally be rewarded for their efforts and substitutions as two pairs of fresh legs would contribute to a beautiful game-tying goal when Kailey Utley sent a ball into the box for McGuire.

"(Coach) always says that the people that come in, we need to be game changers," Utley said. "We talked about how we were going to be able to exploit them offensively, so that was part of the game. I was finding an opening at the top of the box, so that was what was on my mind. As far as the grit factor, we just want to be in the fight for every minute of the game so, although we went down, it wasn't the end."

The goal not only leveled the match in Lexington, it also marked the 100th goal in the USL Super League's inaugural campaign.

"It's an incredible opportunity and experience," McGuire said. "I just feel so grateful to have the moment to be in that position to be able to score that goal, especially having Kailey be able to assist me and having our whole team work together to get that point tonight. It was a battle, I'm very grateful."

LSC fought to earn the full three points in the match, but the effort would come up just short as the full-time whistle delivered a sharing of points between the pair.

"I liked the fact that MK scored," Head Coach Michael Dickey said. She came in and she was a game changer, she does what she does really well and she scores when she's facing the goal. She's really efficient. She practices a lot in front of the goal and today she helped us tremendously."

Spokane controlled the possession in the match, holding onto the ball 61.8% of the time while also winning in expected goals with a 1.23-1.13 advantage.

The Greens will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 7, in the penultimate match of their Fall calendar against Brooklyn FC. Kickoff against Brooklyn is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air live on Peacock.

"For these last few games we just want to get points, but we want to get wins," Utley said. "We want to get three points, so come together these next three weeks, train on what we need to train on and be ready to go when it's time for Brooklyn to come."

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Images from this story

Lexington SC forward Marykate McGuire (12) takes a shot on goal in the rain
Lexington SC forward Marykate McGuire (12) takes a shot on goal in the rain
(Tommy Quarles)		   

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