Republic FC Rallies for 2-2 Draw at Lexington SC
USL Sacramento Republic FC

Republic FC Rallies for 2-2 Draw at Lexington SC

Published on October 17, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Sacramento Republic FC News Release


For the second straight week, the Indomitable Club fought back from a two-goal deficit and this time came away with a well-deserved point on the road in a 2-2 road draw against Lexington SC on Friday night. Republic FC closed out strong with two goals in the final minutes of the match to pick up a valuable point in the battle for playoff seeding in the Western Conference table.

The opening moments of the match were relatively quiet until Lexington struck in the fourth minute when Marcus Epps' cross met the head of Cory Burke in front of goal.

Danny Vitiello did well to keep the match close when Lexington's Blaine Ferri took a free kick in the 38th minute. The ball cleared the wall and looked to be heading towards the corner of the goal, but Vitiello saw it the entire way and dove to his right to make the save.

Republic FC looked to steal another late first half goal in the 42nd minute. Jack Gurr delivered a fantastic cross that reached an unmarked Sebastian Herrera on the edge of the 6-yard box, but his header went over the crossbar.

Lexington tried to double the lead in the final moments of the half, but once again it was Danny Vitiello denying the goal. Alfredo Midence created enough space to put a strong shot through traffic and on target, but Vitiello quickly reacted to punch it away.

The Indomitable Club came out of the break with more pace and in the 49th minute nearly pulled even. Jack Gurr's cross skipped through the defense and Lewis Jamieson laid it off for Dominik Wanner, whose shot went just wide of the target. Moments later Rodrigo Lopez's cross was deflected to Michel Benitez for a one-touch shot at the top of the box. It was a solid attempt that went on target, but Lexington's goalkeeper made the save.

Sacramento's pressure continued to build as the half went on. Another cross from Gurr was deflected away by Lexington's keeper, but only went as far as Dominik Wanner. The German national had enough time to control the ball, but his shot was directed right at the keeper.

As Republic FC battled to equalize, Lexington's Marcus Epps doubled the lead with a stellar shot that curled into the upper 90 in the 64th minute.

But the Indomitable Club would not be denied. The defense collapsed on Khori Bennett as he controlled the ball in the box in the 85th minute. He popped the ball out for an overlapping Rodrigo Lopez. The veteran midfielder sent a perfect cross across the face of goal for Cristian Parano to head in. The goal marked Parano's sixth goal of the campaign and Lopez's sixth assist.

Lexington tried to hold on for the win, but Sacramento's intensity never relented. The moment came in the final minutes of the match when a big cross from Jack Gurr connected with Sebastian Herrera on the far side. The Colombian striker buried the ball in the back of the net to pull the Indomitable Club even.

Not satisfied, Neill Collins' squad still did not let up. It looked as if Sacramento locked up three points when Khori Bennett found the back of the net. Freddy Kleeman's header demanded a save from the Lexington goalkeeper, but the speedy Bennett pounced on the rebound and fired it into the net. The center official made his final mark on the game with a whistle to nullify the goal, and keep the match level.

The well-deserved point puts Republic FC one step closer to securing a second place finish in the Western Conference table. The club will close out with a two-game home stand against Charleston Battery on October 22 and Miami FC on October 25. Both contests kickoff at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available now at SacRepublicFC.com.

Sacramento Republic FC 2 - 2 Lexington SC

USL Championship

Lexington SC Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky

October 17, 2025

Scoring Summary: SAC - Cristian Parano (Rodrigo Lopez) 85', Sebastian Herrera (Jack Gurr) 90+4'; LEX - Cory Burke (Marcus Epps) 3', Marcus Epps (Blaine Ferri) 64'

Misconduct Summary: SAC - Lewis Jamieson (caution) 67', Sebastian Herrera (caution) 89'; LEX - Cory Burke (caution) 4', Kendall Burks (caution) 89'

Sacramento Republic FC: Danny Vitiello, Jack Gurr, Lee Desmond (C), Freddy Kleemann, Michel Benitez (Ryan Spaulding 75'), Nick Ross (Rodrigo Lopez 45'), Blake Willey (Justin Portillo 45'), Cristian Parano, Dominik Wanner (Cody Baker 85'), Sebastian Herrera, Lewis Jamieson (Khori Bennett 75')

Unused substitutes: Chibi Ukaegbu, Luis Felipe, Jared Mazzola

Stats: Shots: 15, Shots on Goal: 5, Saves: 3, Fouls: 12, Corner Kicks: 6, Offsides: 2

Lexington SC: Logan Ketterer, Jacob Greene, Kendall Burks, Latif Blessing (Speedy Williams 73'), Joe Hafferty, Blaine Ferri, Alfredo Midence (Xavier Zengue 56'), Marcus Epps (C) (Gael Gibert 73'), Braudilio Rodrigues (Michael Adedokun 80'), Nick Firmino, Cory Burke (Forster Ajago 80')

Unused Substitutes: Malik Henry-Scott, Brooks Thomspon

Stats: Shots: 14, Shots on Goal: 5, Saves: 3, Fouls:, Corner Kicks:, Offsides: 2

Check out the Sacramento Republic FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 17, 2025


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