Despite a large returning core that led Hartford Athletic to a 7-6-3 finish to end the 2024 season, Lexington SC took the season opening match 2-0 over Hartford.
Both teams took some time to find their form early on, as possession changed hands consistently in the first few minutes of the match. Lexington was first to capitalize on an opportunity in the ninth minute. Hartford cleared a corner kick out of the box, which bounced straight to the foot of right back Joe Hafferty. The 26 year-old struck with one touch, and delivered a wonder-strike into the top right corner of the net.
Lexington’s first half strategy focused on crosses into the center, as the Greens attempted 13 of them in the first 45’. Hartford’s defense held strong, anchored by goalkeeper Antony Siaha. The 6’5” goalkeeper accumulated two saves and a claimed cross in the first half, all occurring in the five-minute stretch between the 35th and 40th minutes. Referee Nabil Bensalah blew the whistle at 45’+4, as the Green & Blue entered the locker room down a goal.
The second half started similarly to the first, with possession flip flopping between the two squads. In the 54th minute, Arturo Diz Pe went down with an injury, and was subsequently subbed off for Joe Farrell in the 56th. Hartford followed up with two midfield substitutions in the 62nd minute, as Samuel Careaga replaced Jonathan Jimenez, and Beverly Makangila replaced Junior Moreira.
Lexington matched with two midfield substitutions of their own in the 72nd minute, replacing Jack Beer with Eliot Goldthorp and Nick Firmino with Braudilio Rodrigues. The two newcomers made their statement quickly, connecting in the 79th minute to double Lexington’s lead. A slide tackle from Kieran Sargeant left the ball at the foot of Rodrigues, who delivered a pass across the middle third of the field to Goldthorp, who broke past his defender and keeper to find the back of the net.
Hartford was unable to muster any significant offensive action throughout the rest of the match, and the final score remained 2-0 in favor of Lexington.
Athletic begin their season at 0-1-0, and will look to rebound in their next USL match on March 22nd when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Riverhounds at 7PM ET. The Green & Blue will compete in the first round of the US Open Cup on March 18th at 6:30PM ET, playing host to the New York Shockers of the NPSL.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | LEXINGTON | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 7 | 13 |
| Shots On Target | 0 | 5 |
| Corners | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 11 | 9 |
| Offsides | 0 | 1 |
| Possession | 52.1% | 47.9% |
| Passing Accuracy | 83.3% | 88.0% |
| Saves | 3 | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | LEXINGTON |
|---|---|
| 9′ – Hafferty | |
| 79′ – Goldthorp (Rodrigues) |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | LEXINGTON |
|---|---|
| 73′ – Siaha (Yellow) | |
| 81′ – Hairston (Yellow) | |
| 90’+2 Samadia (Red) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | LEXINGTON |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 1 (GK) Logan Ketterer |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 6 (DF) Joe Hafferty |
| 19 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia | 24 (DF) Kieran Sargeant |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 5 (DF) Kendall Burks |
| 30 (DF) Arturo Diz Pe (Farrell, ’56) | 14 (DF) Daniel Barbir |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston | 3 (MF) Sofiane Djeffal |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jimenez (Careaga, 62′) | 8 (MF) Nicholas Firmino (Rodrigues, 72′) |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira (Makangila, 62′) | 80 (MF) Devon Williams |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 28 (MF) Jack Beer (Goldthorp, 72′) |
| 9 (FW) Mamadou Dieng | 11 (MF) Marchs Epps (Gibert, 90′) |
| 7 (FW) Deshane Beckford (Edwards, 85′) | 17 (FW) Cameron Lancaster (Greene, 81′) |
