The Oakland Roots were defeated 2-0 by Lexington SC during their Wednesday league fixture in Kentucky, conceding two goals in the second half. The loss dropped Oakland to sixth place in the USL Championship Western Conference.
The Roots started their matchup at Lexington Stadium looking refreshed and in control, but the tides turned as the match progressed. Lexington eventually seized momentum and kept it en route to their victory.
During the first phase of the contest, the Roots were dominant in possession and near the 20-minute mark began to find consistent opportunities to test the Lexington keeper. But that momentum didn’t last, as Lexington started to find their own attacking success, culminating in a shot that rifled off of the left post as the first half winded to a close.
Lexington then capitalized on that momentum by opening up the scoring early in the second half. Good buildup in their attacking third led to a low shot attempt from outside of the Oakland box, which was redirected by Phillip Goodrum halfway through its flight and into the twine in the 50th minute to make it 1-0 Lexington.
Following the goal, the Roots began to build back some of the momentum they had lost, looking hungry for an equalizer. But Lexington doubled their lead despite the push from Oakland when a counterattack on a turnover directly following a Roots corner kick led to a three-on-one rush, resulting in an easy chip shot over Kendall McIntosh from Blaine Ferri. That made the score 2-0 in Lexington’s favor, in the 63rd minute.
Oakland had a few key scoring opportunities turned away by Lexington keeper Oliver Semmle in the final phase of play, disallowing the hope of a potential comeback as the final whistle blew.
The Roots now face a quick turnaround for their next match at the Oakland Coliseum versus Northern California rivals Sacramento Republic FC this Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m.
Summary
Scoring
- LEX: Phillip Goodrum 50’.
- LEX: Blaine Ferri 63’.
Discipline
- OAK: Neveal Hackshaw 45’ (yellow card).
- LEX: Phillip Goodrum 54’ (yellow card).
- OAK: Keegan Tingey 80’ (yellow card).
- LEX: Blaine Ferri 87’ (yellow card).
- LEX: Malik Henry-Scott 90’+ (yellow card).
Oakland Roots SC
Lineup: Kendall McIntosh, Tommy McCabe, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Wolfgang Prentice (Bertin Jacquesson), Peter Wilson (Jackson Kiil), Florian Valot (Faysal Bettache), Jesus De Vicente (Julian Bravo), Neveal Hackshaw, Keegan Tingey, Tucker Lepley (Danny Trejo), Michael Edwards
Unused subs: Tyler Gibson, Alejandro Caracheo Luna
Line: Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corner Kicks: 6 | Fouls: 9 | Offside: 2
Lexington SC
Lineup: Oliver Semmle, Xavier Zengue, Kendall Burks, Javain Brown (Arturo Ordóñez), Jacob Greene (Joe Hafferty), Blaine Ferri, Aaron Molloy, Nicolas Firmino, Braudílio Rodrigues (Tarik Scott), Marcus Epps, Phillip Goodrum (Malik Henry-Scott)
Unused subs: Brooks Thompson, Garret Addams, Andrew Caborn, Marqes Muir, Milo Yosef
Line: Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corner Kicks: 3 | Fouls: 10 | Offside: 2
